Consumed by Fire
by Aerle
Summary: "Every time he thought he had figured him out, Shanks surprised him again. And somehow, Benn had the feeling that wouldn't change anytime soon." Set in Fire Universe (independently readable).
1. Chapter 1

Thanks Myladyday and Vergina-spva for beta'ing

This is (probably) the last multichapter story for the Fire Universe. This first chapter is set about nineteen years before Reborn in Fire and Hot as Fire, and about seventeen before Breaking through Fire. There will be several timeskips throughout the story.

While Shanks and Benn meet when Benn is Shanks' teacher, they will not pursue a romantic relationship at that point and thus there will be no drama surrounding that.

Warnings (for the entire fic, but not necessarily for the first chapter): sexual content, loss of limbs, violence. More warnings may be added at a later time.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

The door to the lecture hall opened, and Benn's eyes were automatically drawn to it. It wasn't the first time a student snuck in long after the lecture had started, no matter that it was only the first day of class.

Benn was glad he didn't have to teach today, and he didn't envy Professor Silvers. He had just started his PhD and teaching a class was part of the deal. Fortunately, he didn't have to teach all these students, a hundred or so in total, during the lectures. He only had to teach seminars in smaller groups, which would start later this week. Benn wasn't looking forward to teach students of eighteen and nineteen, barely old enough to call themselves adults, but calling themselves that anyway. Thinking back to when he was eighteen himself, Benn shuddered. He had definitely not been an adult back then. He was twenty-six now, and he barely felt like an adult. How was he supposed to teach a bunch of kids?

While he didn't have to teach right now, he had to be present, at least for the first part of the lecture, because he had been introduced, along with the other teachers who would take care of some of the other groups. He was sitting in the front of the class, his back turned to the PowerPoint presentation Silvers had made, though he sometimes turned around to have a look. He had had the same lecture a long time ago, when he was a first year student.

Usually, Benn was just distracted by the movement of the door opening and then continued listening to what Professor Silvers was saying, but the bright red hair of this student caught his attention. The boy, because he was hardly more than that, moved to an empty seat, but because everyone had sat down on the edge, some people had to stand up and there was some rustling about. Professor Silvers continued imperturbably. Benn admired him for that.

The student had finally managed to sit down and bent down to get his stuff, whispering something to his neighbour. It irked Benn that he continued to disturb Professor Silvers' class. As if he felt Benn looking, the redhead looked up and had the audacity to grin at him. Benn narrowed his eyes, but then decided to forget about the student and focus on the lecture.

The break rolled around. The students started talking to each other, some going outside for a smoke or to get something to drink from the machines outside. The redhaired student jumped up and came to the front of the hall. For a moment, Benn feared he came up to him, but the student stopped short at Professor Silvers. He did flash Benn another grin, though, before he started to talk with Silvers. It looked like they knew each other, somehow.

Benn decided it was none of his business and went outside to get coffee. Some students approached him to introduce themselves and ask some questions. He promptly forgot their names, which was going to pose a problem.

When the break was over, Benn turned to go back to the lecture hall, when he almost bumped into the redhaired student, who seemed to be on his way to the coffee machine.

"Oh," he said, grinning broadly, "you're Mr Beckman, right?"

Somehow, he made Benn's name sound like it was sin itself. Only now Benn noticed he was very good looking, though he showed a little too much chest for Benn's taste.

"It looks like I'm in your class," the student continued.

"Yeah, well, you'd better be on time then," Benn grunted.

The corner of the student's mouth curled up, and Benn instantly knew he had fallen into a trap. "Why, Mr Beckman, are you watching me?"

"It's Benn," Benn snapped, suddenly annoyed by the kid's nerve. Calling him Mr made him feel old, and the student kept making it sound dirty.

"Okay, Benn," somehow, that wasn't an improvement, "I'm Shanks." He grinned again.

Benn narrowed his eyes. He was sure he would remember this name, but that was hardly a positive thing.

* * *

"We survived the first day!" Shanks' glass chimed together with Roo's and Yasopp's, his best friends from secondary school. They all went to the same university now, though they were studying different things entirely. While Shanks had chosen cultural anthropology, Roo was studying veterinary medicine and Yasopp was doing law. Still, they had agreed to meet after their first day to see how it went.

It seemed to have gone well enough. At least Roo could tell some gory stories already, though Yasopp seemed more concerned that his girlfriend Banchina had gone to college instead, so he wouldn't see much of her.

Shanks slapped him jovially on the shoulder. "You'll be fine. But I have to say, I'm impressed that you two are still together after so long."

"Just because you broke up with Makino doesn't mean that everyone should break up with their girlfriend after graduation," Yasopp replied, sipping his beer.

"That was a mutual decision," Shanks protested. "Makino's great, but we both wanted to see more of the world. And boy, what a nice piece of world did I see today!"

"You already found someone you like?" Roo inquired around some chicken wings.

"I did. Though it's a little inappropriate."

"How so?" Yasopp asked.

"Well, first of all he's a guy. And secondly," Shanks grinned sheepishly, "he's kinda my teacher."

Yasopp raised his eyebrows. "I thought that Rayleigh was your teacher? He is the whole reason you picked cultural anthropology."

"Well, yes, I did. But this guy is one of Rayleigh's assistants. I think he's a PhD-student or something? I wasn't really paying attention."

"What else is new?" Roo muttered, and Yasopp chuckled.

Shanks sent them an unamused look. "Very funny. Oh, speak of the devil!" Roo and Yasopp turned in the direction Shanks was looking in.

Benn had entered the bar, looking even hotter than he had during class today. His long black hair was tied in a ponytail and he was wearing a black t-shirt that looked like it might rip if he flexed too much.

Shanks had known for a long time he was attracted to people regardless of their gender and he wasn't ashamed of it. He had dated Makino for a long time in secondary school, but had never hid the fact that he was pansexual.

"Yo, Be–" Shanks started, but Yasopp dragged the arm he held up down again.

"Didn't you just say it was inappropriate?" he asked sternly. "If _you_ of all people find something inappropriate, then it must be _really_ inappropriate."

"I resent that," Shanks said with a pout. "And besides, it's not like I'm going to jump him here or something. I'm much more subtle than that."

Roo snorted and covered his mouth to prevent himself from spitting out his beer.

Shanks shot him a nasty look. "Anyway," he then continued, "I can be friends with him, right? Or is that _inappropriate_ as well?"

Yasopp and Roo exchanged a look.

Shanks decided to ignore them and lifted up his arm again. "Yo, Benn!" he called through the bar.

Benn had just taken a seat on a bar stool, and Shanks could see his shoulders slump as he sighed when he noticed who was calling him. He gave a brief wave before turning back to his drink.

Realising that he wasn't going to come over, Shanks grabbed his beer and got up. "I'll be right back."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Yasopp called after him.

Shanks turned around and grinned. "You mean, a guy?"

Yasopp narrowed his eyes. "In this case, yes."

Shanks rolled his eyes. "Trust me. It'll be fine." He moved through the crowd, careful not to spill his beer and slipped on the bar stool next to Benn. "Is this seat taken?"

"Would you care if it was?" Benn grouched, taking a sip from what appeared to be rum.

"Aren't you Mr Sunshine. Don't tell me you're one of those old fashioned people who thinks that students and teachers shouldn't interact outside of class."

Benn sighed and twirled his glass around. "I'm only assisting professor Silvers. I never wanted to teach."

"Then why are you?" Shanks inquired curiously.

Benn opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again and sighed. "I guess you weren't there yet when I introduced myself at the lecture. I'm a PhD student. Teaching is a requirement for the position, but I took it to be able to do research. Now if you don't mind, that seat was actually taken."

Slightly surprised by the sudden change of topic, Shanks looked over his shoulder when Benn raised his hand to someone. A black haired guy had entered with strange, intense piercing eyes, that reminded Shanks of a hawk.

Pouting, he slid off the barstool and returned to his seat with Roo and Yasopp.

"How did it go?" Roo asked dryly.

"He sent me away! How was I supposed to know he was about to meet a friend?"

"What, you think he came here for you?" Yasopp said with a snort.

"It could be!"

Roo and Yasopp exchanged another look, like they were doing a little too often. Without proper cause, in Shanks' humble opinion.

* * *

It was a quarter past nine – fifteen minutes after the class had started – when the door opened and Shanks snuck in. Benn stopped midsentence and sighed.

"I thought you were going to be on time today."

"Yeah, sorry. I overslept." Shanks smiled sheepishly. Benn noticed that several students eagerly pushed aside their bags so that Shanks could sit next to them. Shanks finally picked a spot next to a girl and grinned at her as he whispered something.

Benn sighed again. "Seeing this is the first class, we just introduced ourselves. Why don't you go ahead?"

Shanks' eyebrows raised, slightly taken aback. "Oh, okay. I'm Shanks."

"That's brief and to the point, but could you elaborate a little?"

"I'm Shanks Red."

Benn sighed again. "Alright, why did you pick cultural anthropology?"

"Oh." Shanks seemed to think for a while. "What did the others say?"

"If you wanted to know that, you should have been on time," Benn said dryly. "Besides, I've heard those already. I want to hear your answer now."

Shanks pursed his lips in thought. "Actually, I just picked it because I wanted Rayleigh as my teacher."

"That's stupid."

Shanks frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Benn sat down behind the desk, "that you shouldn't base your study choice on what someone else does. If you aren't passionate about it, you'll never excel, and chances are that you will fail."

"But I don't know what my passion is," Shanks said, his brows furrowed.

"Then I suggest you find out soon. Alright, now that we're done with that, did anyone have questions about the lecture?"

"Wait," Shanks interrupted him. "Why did _you_ chose cultural anthropology? It can't be because you're such a people person." That earned him some laughs.

Benn just hummed. "I don't have to like people to be fascinated by them. That is not to say that I dislike people. I just don't like latecomers."

That shut up Shanks effectively, and Benn could finally resume the lesson. He repeated if there were any questions, which there were. They spent the rest of the lesson discussing the definition of cultural anthropology, and Benn was surprised to learn that he enjoyed teaching.

Time flew by. Before Benn realised it, class was over and he sent everyone away. A few girls stayed behind to ask him some more questions. Once they had left, however, Benn noticed that there was still someone else in the classroom.

"If you are trying to make up on lost time, Mr Red, I'd prefer it if you are on time for the next class," he said as he started to pack his bag.

"Why do you call me Mr when I have to call you by your first name?" Shanks sat down on one of the tables.

"I don't really care what you call me. Besides, it's up to you to decide what I can call you," Benn replied.

"Call me Shanks. Mr Red is… was my father."

Benn looked up at that. There was a glimmer of sadness in Shanks' eyes, but that had disappeared before Benn could make sure. He wondered if it was an invitation to inquire further. "Your father passed away?"

Shanks shrugged. "It was a few years ago. Anyway, you do know those girls were flirting with you, right?"

Benn frowned. "Were they?" He never really noticed when women flirted with him, somehow. Probably because he wasn't interested in them anyway. "Well, that's too bad for them."

"Because you're gay?" Shanks inquired innocently.

Benn narrowed his eyes. "Because I'm their teacher. Now get your butt off the table. I need to lock the classroom."

Much to his surprise, Shanks hopped off the table without any argument. He grabbed his things and followed Benn out of the room. Instead of leaving, though, he waited until Benn had locked the door.

"Do you think Rayleigh is still here?" Shank asked him.

Benn frowned. "Probably. Why? Do you need to ask him something about the lecture?"

"Nah, just wanted to chat." Shanks shrugged.

Benn remembered Shanks saying that he wanted to study cultural anthropology because of Rayleigh. He had also talked to Professor Silvers in what appeared to be a very friendly way. It was probably more than professional admiration that drove Shanks to cultural anthropology. "He should be in his office." Then curiosity got the better of him and he asked, "May I ask how you know him?"

"Sure." Shanks shrugged. "He was Roger's best friend. Roger…" He scratched the back of his head. "I went through some stuff during puberty, when my dad died… I started causing trouble. Roger straightened me out and took me in, though. That is, until he died as well."

Benn was quiet for a moment. He had heard Rayleigh mention the name Roger a few times, though he always changed the subject immediately after. Benn wondered why. "I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to pry."

Shanks shrugged again. "It's fine. Everyone has their tragic backstory, right? It's just nice to see Rayleigh again."

"I see. Well, give him my regards. I'm heading home," Benn said as they reached the exit together. "See you on Monday. On time."

Shanks flashed him a grin that did nothing to convince Benn that he would actually be on time, before he ran off.

Benn sighed and shook his head. Teaching was not like he had thought it would be, though in a good way. He enjoyed explaining material he had learned a long time ago, and it was nice to hear some fresh opinions.

However, he still had no idea what to think of Shanks. Every time he thought he had figured him out, Shanks surprised him again. And somehow, Benn had the feeling that wouldn't change anytime soon.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks Vergina-spva and MyLadyDay for beta'ing

* * *

"Still, I disagree."

Benn opened his mouth to reply, when his eye fell on the clock above the door. Class was almost over, and once again he had let himself be seduced into a discussion with Shanks. Every class was the same in that aspect. Shanks always challenged Benn's view and they fell into a discussion. Sometimes, Shanks was dead wrong and Benn could correct him, but other times, he made compelling and even convincing points.

Benn tried to include the rest of the students, but they mostly seemed content just to listen – or pretending to listen. Benn had to admit, Shanks kept him on his toes and he enjoyed the discussions. For a first year student, Shanks knew a lot about anthropology.

With a sigh, he cut the argument short and dismissed the class. It was Friday afternoon anyway, and none of the students – with the exception of Shanks – had seemed to be excited about learning.

As he waited for everyone to leave, Benn started to pack his own things. Shanks hung around after class, like he did more often, mostly because they didn't always have time to finish their discussion.

Benn looked up from packing his bag and said, "We'll finish our discussion in class next time. I think it'll be educational for the others as well. Besides," he added with a smirk, "then you have the entire weekend to think of better arguments to convince me."

"My arguments were fine, thank you very much," Shanks said with a snort. "You're just too stubborn to admit I'm right."

Now it was Benn's time to snort. He had no problem admitting when Shanks made a good point. Rather, it was Shanks who was one of the most stubborn people Benn had ever met. Today it had been clear Shanks was off his game and had just been arguing for argument's sake.

"But that's not why I'm here," Shanks continued. "Do you want to have a drink with me and my friends?"

"With you… _and_ your friends?" Benn repeated sceptically. Since day one, Shanks had been flirting with him – though, to be fair, he did that with virtually everyone. Benn had tried to avoid being alone with him in one room to prevent Shanks from outright asking him out or doing something else inappropriate, but until now, Shanks had behaved himself.

Shanks shrugged. "Sure. I'm sure you'll like them."

Benn studied Shanks' face to see if this was a trick – he wouldn't put it past Shanks to 'forget' to invite his friends or something so they ended up alone. However, despite the whole flirting thing, Benn had to admit that he liked Shanks' company. Perhaps he could use their time outside the academic climate to ascertain that they were friends, and Shanks was not to try to get him into bed – which seemed to be Shanks' ultimate goal with a lot of people.

"Why not," he finally said and added for good measure, "I'd love to meet your friends."

"See you tonight at the bar then," Shanks said with a grin.

* * *

Despite Benn promising him he would come, Shanks was still slightly surprised when he actually showed up in the bar that night. But he was happy nonetheless and waved him over. Benn joined them, shaking Yasopp's and Roo's hand. He seemed stunned that Shanks had actually invited other people.

Shanks took offence to that. "I said they would be here, right?"

"I figured they would 'have to leave', or that you would 'forget to invite them'," Benn replied deadpanned, using too many air quotes for Shanks' liking.

"What do you take me for?" he asked miffed.

"He does that with everyone," Yasopp piped up. "First he tries to get into your pants and whether that happens or not, after a while he becomes your friend. Nothing you can do about it."

Benn snorted. "I'd like to skip the trying to get into my pants part, because that's not going to happen anyway."

"I haven't even _tried_ ," Shanks all but whined.

Benn gave him an unamused look. "Either you give up on that idea right now, or I'll leave and have you transferred to another class. Your choice."

Shanks stared at him for a while, but Benn's stern face didn't waver. He meant what he said and he wasn't backing down. Shanks weighed his options. Making a move on him would mean that Shanks would lose the chance of getting to know Benn. If he backed down now, however, Benn would become his friend and Shanks could see later on if there was something between them. Yes, that sounded like a good plan.

Looking Benn in the eye, he held out his hand. "Alright, no funny business. I promise we can be friends and I won't try to get you into bed."

Nodding pleased, Benn took his hand.

Though things didn't work out the way Shanks had hoped, Benn bought the first round, so it was all good. For a moment, Shanks regretted his decision not to try to get Benn into bed when he saw that ass walk away – _damn_ , those jeans looked good on him – but then dismissed the thought. There were enough hot guys and gals to sleep with who looked great in jeans, but there was just one Benn.

He was happy about his decision more and more as the night progressed. Benn fit right into their little group, even though they had been friends for a long time. He had a nice, dry sense of humour which Shanks' loved, and he was very stable. The latter Shanks discovered later in the evening, when he was positively hammered and needed something to lean on. Benn had drunk about as much as he had, and at first Shanks thought he could hold his liquor better, but soon enough he found out that Benn was just better at faking being sober.

"'f y'like booze, t'morrow we're gun to a party," Shanks slurred after he had emptied his umpteenth shot glass. "Lot's o'alcohol there. You should come. Great guys." He grinned.

Benn snorted and ruffled his hair. "Yeah? Well, why the hell not? It's been a while since I went to a party."

* * *

For the umpteenth time, Benn checked the note on which he had written down the address before looking back to the mansion before him. It had to be right, he had checked the route time and again, but still he wondered how Shanks would know people who could afford to live in a place like this. The house was huge, not to mention that the road Benn just took was a private one.

Shanks had invited him while drunk, but apparently recalled it the next morning – meaning this morning – and had called Benn to invite him again and give him directions. How he had gotten Benn's number, Benn wasn't sure, but he figured either he had given it himself last night and didn't recall it, or Rayleigh had given it. He didn't care much now that Shanks had stopped trying to seduce him.

Benn parked his car and got out, walking to the door. Shanks had said the party started at eight. It was now a quarter to, so he was early. Still, not feeling like waiting in the cold, Benn pressed the doorbell.

It took a while, but then the door was opened by a young man, around twenty, Benn estimated, with blond hair and a small girl on his arm. The girl was sucking her thumb and looked at Benn shyly.

"Yes?" the man asked.

Wondering once again if he had followed Shanks' directions right, Benn scratched the back of his head. "Ehm, I'm here for the party. Shanks invited me."

"I see. Well, come on in. I'm Marco," the man introduced himself. "This is my little sister Haruta."

"Benn," Benn said as he followed Marco inside. "I have to admit, this was not what I was expecting when I was invited to a party."

Marco stopped in his tracks, looking at Benn amusedly. "Tell me, Benn, you're new at being friends with Shanks?" When Benn nodded, he continued, "Trust me, with Shanks, it's never what you expect. Even if you expect it not to be what you expect, he'll surprise you."

The smoke alarm suddenly sounded, and Marco cursed softly, though it could hardly be called a curse as he tuned it down for Haruta. "Sounds like I'm needed. Here, hold her." He pressed Haruta into Benn's arms before he could object. "Living room's up ahead." He made a vague gesture with his hand in the right direction before sprinting off.

Slightly baffled, Benn walked towards the living room, a wide eyed Haruta on his arm. She couldn't be older than three.

As he entered the living room, he was met by several guys of various ages, who looked up at him curiously.

"Who are you and why are you holding our baby sister?" one of them, with blond dreadlocks, asked.

"I'm Benn," he replied, switching Haruta to his other hip. "A friend of Shanks'." Dropping Shanks' name had seemed to work with Marco. "Marco asked if I could hold her."

It seemed to work, as the tension drained from the room. A large man with black hair rose and held out his arms. "I'll take her."

Benn was about to hand her to what appeared to be one of her brothers – were these guys really part of one family? – but Haruta made a disapproving sound and clung to him.

"Come on, sweetie, don't you have enough brothers already?" the man asked.

"Or maybe she has so many that she doesn't remember who is and who isn't," the guy with dreadlocks said with a snort.

"In any case, she seems to like Benn, so why don't we leave her?" the youngest boy in the room said. Benn estimated his age around ten.

The man next to Benn slapped Benn on the shoulder. "Well, you heard him. I'm Blenheim, by the way."

The other guys introduced themselves as well, but Benn wasn't going to remember their names all at once. He sat down on the couch, still with Haruta in his lap, who had taken an interest in his ponytail.

"So, Shanks isn't here yet?" Benn asked after a moment of silence.

The guy with dreadlocks, whose name Benn remembered was Rakuyo, snorted. "Of course not. He's fashionably late, as always. Besides, most guests won't arrive for an hour or two. You're early."

"Shanks said it started at eight," Benn said with a sigh.

Marco entered the living room, followed by two boys of sixteen or seventeen. "The fire has been extinguished," Marco said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "So please, don't get up."

"Weren't you the one who said that you were thinking of becoming a firefighter?" Kingdew said with a grin.

Marco gave him a deadpanned look.

The youngest looking one of the two boys ignored Marco's words and clapped his hands excitedly. "Oh, a visitor! Where's my present?"

"Present?" Benn asked unintelligently. Shanks hadn't said anything about this being a birthday party, especially not for a sixteen-year-old. Suddenly, he wondered if Shanks was just pulling his leg.

"You didn't bring me a present?" the boy asked, but then shook his head. "That's okay, I take cash." He held out his hand.

"You don't even know the guy, Izo," the other boy said, grinning. "Maybe he's here for Marco."

Izo crossed his arms before his chest. "So? We celebrate our birthday's together, so we both get presents." He turned to Benn. "I wasn't kidding about the money."

The other boy laughed and wrapped his arms around Izo from behind, leaning with his chin on his shoulder. "He really wasn't."

With a sigh, Benn took out his wallet and handed Izo some bills. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks." Izo beamed at him. "I'm Izo, by the way, and these are Thatch and Marco. I assume you already met the others."

"Benn. A friend of Shanks'."

Izo hummed understandingly.

"Then what about Marco's present?" Thatch asked.

"Maybe Benn can go out with him," Izo said with a grin.

"Izo!" Marco said warningly.

"What? He's cute and you haven't had a boyfriend in a loooong time." Izo turned to Benn. "Are you into men? Marco's a great catch."

"Izo!" Marco hissed. Turning to Benn, he said, "Don't mind him. You're with Shanks, right?"

"I'm not dating him, if that's what you're asking," Benn replied with a snort, moving Haruta so she wasn't standing on his crotch anymore.

Marco's eyebrows rose. "No?"

"I'm his teacher, so no."

There was some agreeing murmur.

"So, you didn't answer my question," Izo pressed. "Do you like men? Marco does."

"I'm gay, yes."

"Ha!" Izo called triumphantly. "Knew it!"

Before he could try to set up Benn on a date with his brother – again, Benn wondered if these people were really all siblings – the door to the living room opened again and an enormous man entered. Benn had never considered himself small, but he was nowhere near the size of this man with his impressive moustache.

Haruta turned in Benn's lap, effectively standing on his crotch again, and held out her hands to the man, laughing as he picked her up.

"Hi Pops," Marco greeted him. "This is Benn, a friend of Shanks'. Benn, this is our dad, Edward Newgate."

"So you really are one big family?" Benn asked after shaking Mr Newgate's hand.

"Shanks really didn't tell you anything, did he?" Marco asked with a grin.

Benn sighed. "He just said there was a party."

"That's probably all he heard anyway," Jozu said and started laughing along with everyone else in the room. Benn was less amused.

"Alright, it's time for the little one to go to bed," Mr Newgate said as he was rocking Haruta gently. She seemed half asleep already. "Whose turn was it to tuck her in?"

Benn had trouble holding back his laughter when all hands in the room rose and that even the toughest looking guy was fighting to bring their little sister to bed. In the end, it was decided that Izo and Marco had the honours, considering it was their birthday. It left Benn in a room full of pouting people.

Despite being way too early for the actual party, Benn ended up having fun at the Newgate residence. While he didn't feel attracted to Marco like Izo so desperately seemed to want, Marco was a nice person to talk to, and so where the other brothers.

Around nine thirty, the first guests came trickling in, but it wasn't until an hour later that Shanks and his friends showed up. Benn immediately approached them, a slightly annoyed look on his face and a beer in his hand. Shanks turned to him. "Oh, you're here already."

"You said it started at eight," Benn said through gritted teeth.

"Yeah? Oh. I see. It's been _really_ long since you've been too a party, hasn't it?" Shanks chuckled. "If it starts at eight, it doesn't really _start_ until eleven."

Benn rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Aw, don't be like that! I'm sorry I wasn't clear enough. But I bet you had fun with the boys, am I right?" Shanks took his hand.

Benn had to admit as much. It seemed like a fun family.

He was proven right in his assumption when the party started for real. Booze flowed, there was enough food to feed an orphanage, and there was loud off-key singing of sailor songs with appropriate dancing.

Benn saw Shanks make out with several people – Benn had already discovered that he didn't care much about gender – and smiled. It didn't seem that Shanks was too heartbroken over his decision to be friends.

Benn strolled outside for a smoke, impressed by the large garden, which included a pool.

"Mind if I join you?" he heard Marco's voice behind him. Shaking his head, he offered Marco a light when he took out a cigarette.

"So, you're really Shanks' teacher?" Marco asked with a smirk. "Yet you still agree to meet him outside of class."

Benn shrugged. "I like him. His personality, that is."

"I know him from secondary school. He was always something of the class clown. But he doesn't bother you?"

"To be honest, he's one of my best students," Benn said. "He actually has an opinion and isn't afraid to express it. Unfortunately, that opinion differs from mine a lot, but I respect him for it."

Marco hummed and took a drag from his cigarette. "And he never made a move on you? That doesn't sound like him."

"Oh, he did. I just nipped it in the bud."

Marco laughed. "Impressive."

They smoked in silence for a while, until Izo called, "Marco! Stop being disgusting and help me cut the cake!"

With a sigh, Marco put out his cigarette with his shoe. "My brother's so worried about my health. Apparently, there's cake. Are you coming?"

"I will in a bit," Benn replied.

Marco shrugged and moved inside the house. For a moment, Benn enjoyed the silence around him, after the loud music from inside, but soon enough, his peace was disturbed when Shanks exited the house. He was a jolly drunk, Benn had noticed before, and the line in which Shanks walked up to him was about a straight as Benn was.

"There you are!" Shanks exclaimed, clinging to him. His cheeks were flushed from the alcohol, making him look rather adorable. "Listen, Makino had to go, so can you bring us home? Not yet, of course," he hastily added, "t'party has barely started! But after."

Benn chuckled. He had drunk a bit, but had already switched to juice a while back, since he had to drive home. Thatch had informed him that it wasn't uncommon for people to stay over after a party, but Benn preferred to sleep in his own bed.

Makino was, apparently, an ex-girlfriend of Shanks' and a friend of the Newgate family. She seemed too normal to be acquainted with them, and Benn had enjoyed talking to her.

He wrapped an arm around Shanks to keep him steady. "Sure, I'll bring you home."

"Great!" An almost unsettling smirk appeared in Shanks' face as he started dragging Benn inside. "Then let's go party!"


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks Vergina-spva and MyLadyDay for beta'ing

* * *

The room around him was spinning, and Benn was relieved when he felt a wall behind him to keep him steady. Somehow, Shanks had convinced him to start drinking again when Edward Newgate, the owner of the house and father to about a quarter of the people present, had been willing to share an excellent whiskey with him. Shanks had promised Benn he would arrange a designated driver for them, and after some teasing about him being old, he had let himself be convinced.

It had been a long time since he had been to a party, and even longer since he actually had fun at one. He had danced with several people and even made out with one – who, he didn't know, only that it wasn't Shanks, since he had made sure of that before it happened.

By this time, many people had gone home, and of the people that were still present, several had passed out in random corners. Perhaps it was time to go.

As if he had heard Benn's thoughts, Shanks came standing next to him. "I know y'r havin' fun, but our ride's here," he said fairly coherently.

Benn had to admit he was relieved to hear that. One more beer and he would no doubt join the passed out people on the floor. However, when he saw who had entered the room, it felt like the blood froze in his veins. Professor Silvers had come in, followed by what had to be his wife. Benn had never felt this embarrassed in his life. Here he was, drunk out of his mind, and he had to be picked up by his colleague and supervisor. How could he ever face him again after this?

Taking a deep breath, Benn decided that the best way to get through this was by bluffing and pretending he was as sober as the next guy. Well, the guy in the next house, perhaps.

Walking in what he was fairly certain was a straight line, he staggered when Shanks decided it was a good idea to jump on his back. _Just take slow, deep breaths_ , he told himself. He had faked being sober before, he could do so again.

"Good evening," he greeted Rayleigh. "Thank you for picking us up. I had… eh, a beer."

"More like a crate," Shanks helpfully reminded him, and Benn was tempted to throw him off his back.

Yet, he didn't and looked at Rayleigh again. "Is this your wife?"

"Yeah, this is Shakky. Shakky, meet Benn, the PhD student I talked about."

"Hello," Benn said, wondering briefly if that was something he would say when he was sober. Probably.

She smiled around an unlit cigarette, causing Benn to crave one as well. "He's hammered, isn't he?"

"Totally," Shanks said with a grin, or at least so Benn assumed since he was still on his back. He dropped Shanks immediately, so that he landed inelegantly on his ass. He shot Benn a nasty look.

"Just give me your keys so I can take you home," Rayleigh said, holding out his hand.

"I'll get them," Shanks said, already forgotten about his sore ass, and reached into Benn's pocket.

Benn slapped his hand away. "Still not drunk enough for that."

* * *

On Monday morning, the worst of his hangover had disappeared, but he still felt like a train had run him over. He was seriously getting old, something he was painfully reminded off when saw Shanks all but skipping through the hallway, not affected by the enormous amounts of alcohol from the past weekend.

A cup of coffee was placed on Benn's desk, and gratefully, he breathed in the scent, already feeling better. However, when he saw who the generous person was, he'd rather that the ground swallowed him up.

While Rayleigh had been driving them home, Benn had somehow let himself be coaxed into singing loud sailor songs with Shanks, Roo, and Yasopp, proving once and for all how drunk he actually had been.

Professor Silvers looked amused, however. "There is no need to be embarrassed, Benn. I've been young too. In fact, I think it's been good for you to let loose a little."

"Thanks for picking us up again," Benn mumbled, twirling the cup around. "I'm sorry Shanks called you so late, though." That small fact he had overlooked at the party.

"That's quite alright. Shakky owns a bar and we were just closing up when Shanks called. Besides, it's not the first time he has asked me to pick him up somewhere in the middle of the night." Rayleigh took a sip of his own coffee.

"That doesn't make it okay," Benn muttered.

But Professor Silvers waved his objections away. "I'm glad he called. If he hadn't, _you_ would have been the one to drive them home and then you wouldn't have had the fun you had now. You had fun, didn't you?"

"I did," Benn said hesitantly.

"There you go. I have to go to class, but you should really consider going out with Shanks again." Rayleigh made for the door of the office, but turned his head back so that Benn could see the grin he was wearing. "I think he's a good influence on you."

As time passed on, the itch inside of him got worse. It wasn't any itch he could scratch, but a feeling that this wasn't what he wanted. However, Shanks couldn't say what it was that he wanted instead, so the only option he saw was to continue on and pretend nothing was amiss.

* * *

Half a year had gone by since he started university, and Shanks was still going to his classes, for which he was actually getting good grades. Not because Benn was his friend now, but because the material came easily to him. The only time he was truly engaged by the topic was during class when he was having a discussion with Benn.

Outside of class, however, they hardly ever argued. Benn had become one of his closest friends, and they hung out nearly every weekend. So it wasn't to hard too decide who to talk to when Shanks finally figured out what he was missing.

"No Roo and Yasopp today?" Benn greeted him as he put down his bag and slid on the bar stool next to Shanks.

"Nah. I needed to talk to you alone." Shanks slid a whiskey over to Benn, before taking a sip of his own. He hadn't even liked whiskey before meeting Benn, but Benn had taught him to appreciate it.

Benn quirked an eyebrow, like he always did when he was intrigued. "Okay. What's up? You're uncharacteristically quiet today."

Shanks took another sip from his whiskey, pursing his lips as he thought about how to start this conversation. He barely noticed Benn turning to him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Shanks could hear the worry in his voice. "Please tell me, you're kind of freaking me out here."

Shanks took a deep breath and turned to him. "Do you remember what the first thing was you said to me?"

Some of the tension seemed to drain from Benn's body now that he realised it wasn't anything serious like Shanks had a disease or something, and the corner of his mouth turned up a little. "I think it was, 'Stop flirting with me, I'm your teacher.'"

Shanks let out a snort. "Okay, the second thing." When Benn silently encouraged him to continue, he said, "You said I needed to find my passion. Do you still think that?"

"I think everyone should find their passion." Benn took a sip of his drink. "But I take it you don't think you have?"

"Do you think I have?"

Benn shrugged. "I can't tell you that. Only you know if this is what you want or not. I know you're doing better than I had expected in the beginning, I'll be honest with you. I'm not supposed to tell you yet, but you scored one of the highest grades on the exam from last week."

"I don't think this is my passion," Shanks admitted. "You were right the first time. I went here because of Rayleigh, and the guys are here and… you're here. It's easy, you know?"

Benn nodded slowly, rotating the liquid in his glass. "Unfortunately, easy is not always what's best. So have you figured out what it is you do want?"

"I want to join the army," Shanks said firmly.

Benn raised his eyebrow. "The army. That's… different."

"I've never been a thinking kind of guy, anyway," Shanks continued. "I'm missing some action in my life. In real life, I mean. In the bedroom I'm doing fine."

Benn rolled his eyes, but didn't comment on the last remark. Instead he said, "Have you signed up yet?"

"I haven't," Shanks said. "I haven't told Roo and Yasopp yet, either. I wanted to talk to you first."

"Well," Benn said with a smile as he placed a hand on Shanks' shoulder, "we're your friends. We'll support you no matter what. You should tell them."

"Do I have to?" Shanks whined. "I'm not good at this stuff. I could, like, send a postcard."

Benn gave him a deadpanned look, and Shanks sighed. "Fine. Why did I decide to talk to you again? You're so… ugh, reasonable."

* * *

Shanks somehow managed to manoeuvre through the busy bar without spilling too much beer from the four glasses he was carrying. He had agreed to tell Yasopp and Roo about his plan, and Benn was there for moral support.

Shanks had been wondering if he was making the right choice. He was going to miss his friends and Rayleigh, his life at the university. But ever since he had decided to join the army, the nagging feeling he had been feeling for so long was gone. It was the right decision, and he should follow his heart on this one.

As he placed the glasses on the table, though, he noticed how pale Yasopp was looking, something he missed at first in his excitement. "Are you okay, man?" he asked.

Yasopp nodded as he took a deep breath in, but it was obviously a lie. After some more encouragement – partly in the shape of liquid courage – he finally said, "Banchina called today."

"And, what? Did she break up with you?" Roo asked, his eyebrows furrowed. Shanks couldn't really believe that was the case. Banchina and Yasopp had been dating for a long time. They were one of those couples that just made sense. But he did wonder what could have shaken Yasopp so much.

As expected, Yasopp shook his head. "She found out today… She's pregnant."

For a moment, everyone at the table was quiet, unsure of what to say or do. Obviously, Yasopp wasn't thrilled about the news himself, so congratulating him seemed out of place. Shanks, Benn, and Roo exchanged a look, mentally encouraging each other to say something first. Soon enough, though, the looks, including Yasopp's, turned to Shanks, and he knew they expected him to speak up.

Shanks considered his options and finally cleared his throat. "She wants to keep the baby?"

"I don't know… We haven't really had a chance to talk about it, but I think she does. I don't know what to do. I'm freaking out, man!" Yasopp buried his head in his hands. "I'm still studying! I don't have a job, or money."

"Can't your parents help out?" Benn asked.

Shanks knew he was trying to be helpful, but he didn't know Yasopp's parents. Yasopp's face told as much as he snorted.

"Yeah, they won't help. And her parents are not much better, either."

Roo placed a hand on Yasopp's shoulder as Yasopp downed his beer and then grabbed Benn's to empty that one as well. No one made a comment.

It was terrible to see his friend so devastated. Shanks wished there was something he could do, but he hardly had any money either, much less to support a child. Then, suddenly, realisation hit him, and he smacked his hand on the table, startling his friends.

"I know something you could do."

"Drop out of university and look for a job?" Yasopp asked dejectedly.

"No. Well, partly. You will have to drop out of university, but I know a way that you can make money and still get your law degree. Listen," Shanks was taken aback when everyone suddenly leaned in, but went with it anyway. "Okay… Anyway, there is a reason I called you all here tonight. I'm dropping out of university myself and joining the army."

"Really?" Roo asked.

Shanks nodded proudly.

"Congrats, man. But I don't see how that helps me," Yasopp replied.

"That's the best part. I read something about the army looking for law students. You can work for them, while studying. It will mean you're away a lot, but at least you can support Banchina and your kid." Shanks tried not too look too smug, but he was pretty proud of his solution. In addition, he would join the army with one of his closest friends.

Yasopp looked up, a careful smile on his ace. "My kid."

Shanks didn't even try to stop the grin from spreading on his face. "You're gonna be a dad." His grin worked contagious, as Yasopp started to beam as well. With an outlook on a job, he seemed to see the bright side of things again.

"I'm gonna be a dad!"

"To Yasopp and knocking up his old lady!" Roo raised his glass, and it wasn't long before the others' were joining in.

* * *

While intellectually, he had known for a while now, actually saying goodbye to Shanks was harder than Benn hand imagined. All four of them were at the train station at the moment, where Shanks and Yasopp were wearing their uniforms already. Benn had to admit, Shanks looked much more mature today than he had on the first day they met. He seemed confident about his decision, and Benn was glad about that.

That didn't mean he wasn't sad that Shanks was leaving, though.

Professor Silvers had been right, Shanks had been a good influence on him, though it hadn't been obvious at first. Shanks had taught him how to have fun again, something he hadn't realised he missed. And most importantly, Shanks had been his friend, his best friend even. They had become close in a short time, but Benn felt absolutely at ease when he was with Shanks. It was hard to imagine his life without him, even if they hadn't known each other that long.

He had already taught a couple of classes since Shanks left university to prepare for the army, and the classroom had seemed much emptier without him. Benn had tried to fill the void by trying to engage the other students in a discussion. It helped a bit, and with Shanks gone, others had a chance to shine. Benn realised that despite his best efforts, he might have given Shanks preferential treatment after all. He should work on that.

The train would come any minute now, and Benn gave Yasopp a firm handshake. They weren't that close, but Benn would miss his company and dry humour as well. Banchina had decided to keep the baby, and they both seemed thrilled about it, despite the fact that it wasn't going to be easy. Benn was happy for them.

When Shanks was done hugging Roo, he turned to Benn. Benn held out his hand, but Shanks was having none of that. Wrapping his arms around Benn's neck, he pulled him into a hug.

For a moment, Benn stood frozen, because even though he should have seen it coming, he hadn't. He wasn't one for much physical contact, but Shanks needed it and, Benn realised, he might have needed it too. Wrapping his arms around Shanks as well, he only looked up when the train halted next to them.

Shanks let go of him, but before doing so, he planted a kiss on Benn's lips. Taken aback for a second, Benn recovered quickly and gave him a deadpanned look.

"I thought you were over that."

Shanks shrugged with a grin as he hoisted his backpack on his shoulder. "You're still hot, so… Besides, you're not my teacher anymore." With a wink, he helped Yasopp put his things on the train as well.

As the doors closed and the train started to move, Benn shook his head with a smile on his face and lifted up his hand in greeting to Shanks and Yasopp as they moved further and further away. An empty feeling took over, and Benn swallowed to get rid of the lump in his throat. He was being overly dramatic.

When the train had disappeared from sight, Roo let out a sigh. "And then there were two."

Benn hummed in reply, but he doubted that he would see much of Roo after this. Not because they didn't get along, on the contrary. But Shanks had been the linchpin to hold their group together. Now that he was gone, Roo and Benn had much less in common. Aside from that, Roo would become more and more busy with his studies, and Benn with his PhD. They would grow apart sooner or later.

As he said goodbye to Roo and walked back to his bicycle, Benn wondered if he would ever see any of the guys, especially Shanks, ever again.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks Vergina-spva and MyLadyDay

* * *

Time passed by quickly. Before Benn knew it, he had gotten his doctorate, though even after, he didn't stop teaching. Thanks to Rayleigh pulling some strings, Benn could get a permanent teaching position at the university, now also teaching advanced classes.

As he had expected, the contact between him and Roo, Yasopp, and Shanks faded, though sometimes the fault most definitely lay with him. Roo had contacted him a few times, but Benn sucked at staying in touch with people and without someone like Shanks to drag him along, most of his friendships faded away. In his defence, he had had much on his mind while he was doing his PhD. Now that his life had slowed down, though, he couldn't help regretting letting them go. Often, he found himself wondering what had happened to them. Whether Shanks had felt at home in the army, and if Yasopp had gotten a boy or a girl. He didn't even know if Roo had continued his studies to become a veterinarian.

"Those essays aren't going to grade themselves," an amused voice spoke next to him.

Benn was startled from his thoughts and tore his gaze away from the window. He wasn't sure what had triggered the trip down memory lane. Looking down at the essay, he remembered. The student's essay had contained some arguments Shanks had used during the classes Benn taught him, which had often resulted in heated discussions. Benn missed that. He had had discussions with his students, sure, but no one was as persistent as Shanks had been.

Shaking his head, he turned to Rayleigh. "If only," he said, stretching himself. He had been sitting hunched over his desk for way too long now. Eying the clock, he saw it was near seven. Damn, he had promised himself he would leave before six today. He had been making long days for months now. While he liked the teaching part of his job, he also had to grade essays and tests, prepare his lectures, and supervise undergraduates during their theses.

He didn't mind working a lot, as he didn't have much of a social life to speak of, nor did he feel the need for one. However, he also knew he shouldn't push himself and take breaks when he had the time for them. It was nearly April, and in May and June, all hell would break loose with students wanting to graduate handing in assignments at the last moment.

Yawning, he rose from his chair, taking his jacket as Rayleigh looked at him approvingly. Not that Rayleigh worked reasonable hours, but he had urged Benn multiple times to do as he said, not as he did.

"Well, those essays will have to wait till morning. I'm starving. Care to join me for a bite?" he asked Rayleigh.

"That's nice of you, but I'll have to decline. I have a meeting that starts in half an hour. But enjoy the rest of your evening."

Benn waved and left his office. He still had to do groceries, and quickly, as his stomach growled in protest. Fortunately, there was a supermarket on his way home.

Deciding to make things easy for himself tonight, he made his way to the section with frozen meals. As he passed through the aisle with canned vegetables, he saw a woman reaching for the top shelf. She was a bit too short to reach it, standing on her tippy toes, and there was no employee in sight.

"Do you need some help?" Benn asked.

She turned around and smiled. "If you could."

Benn grabbed the can she had been reaching for with ease and handed it to her. There was something familiar about her and her unusually long nose, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Shrugging to himself, he handed her the can and was about to move on, when she called him back.

"Have we met?"

"You do look familiar," he admitted, "so I suppose we have."

She frowned, seeming to search her brain, when her face brightened. "Oh, it's Benn, isn't it? I'm Banchina, Yasopp's wife."

How could he forget? After Yasopp and Banchina had found out she was pregnant, they had had a quick wedding, and Benn had even attended. It had been nothing fancy, though, just at city hall and a small reception after. Yasopp had not long after left for the army.

He smiled at her. "Of course, how could I forget? How are you doing?"

To be honest, she looked rather pale, with bags under her eyes, but of course she wouldn't say she was anything but fine. "I'm good. How are you?"

Before he could reply, a small boy with curly hair and his mother's nose walked up to them, carrying a large box of cereal. "Mommy, can I have this?" When he saw Benn, his eyes widened and he tried to hide behind Banchina's legs.

"It's okay, honey. This is a friend of daddy. Say hello to Benn," Banchina said soothingly. Then she turned to Benn, "This is Usopp, my son."

He smiled, trying to look non-threatening as Usopp mumbled hello, but he knew he was doing a poor job as he towered over him. Upon closer inspection, Usopp was indeed Yasopp's son, having his jaw line and full lips.

"Actually," Banchina said, caressing her son's head, "it's Usopp's birthday this weekend."

"It is?" Benn crouched down. "How old will you be?"

Usopp seemed to forget for a moment that he was afraid of Benn, puffing up his chest proudly. "Five." Then he remembered how intimidating Benn was and hid behind his mother's legs again.

"You should come," Banchina said to Benn. "Yasopp will come home, and he would be delighted to see you."

Benn looked up from his crouching position. "That would be great. Is there anything you would like for a gift?" he asked Usopp.

Usopp hid his face.

Benn looked up at Banchina, who mouthed "Lego" at him. Of course, what child didn't like Lego? He rose again and took the piece of paper on which Banchina had scribbled down the address. Saying goodbye to her and Usopp, he put the piece of paper in his pocket and hurried to the frozen food section.

* * *

Even though Shanks had taught him to be fashionably late, Benn didn't think that was common for children's parties, so he arrived at three o'clock, as agreed upon. Banchina welcomed him, looking paler than she had a few days before, but she smiled nonetheless. She thanked him for the flowers he brought her and stepped aside to let him in.

"Yasopp isn't here yet," she said as she led him to the living room, "but I expect him any moment."

In the living room, Usopp was playing with a blond girl in the corner. He didn't even look up when Benn came in. Somewhere else in the house, a toilet flushed, and Benn briefly wondered if it was another one of Usopp's friends when a familiar voice suddenly said, "Look what the cat dragged in."

Benn turned around, smiling when he saw Roo. He hadn't changed a bit, it seemed, and was grinning broadly at Benn.

Benn grinned back, moving towards him to greet him. "It's been way too long."

"And whose fault is that?" Roo said cheerfully, slapping him on the back. "You're the one who disappeared."

He did have a point there, though he didn't seem to reproach Benn for it. No doubt he had been busy as well.

They both sat down on the couch as Banchina ushered Usopp to greet the guests. The blond girl took Usopp's hand, seemingly boosting his confidence.

"Say hello to Benn," Banchina urged him. "Benn, this is Kaya, Usopp's friend."

Usopp muttered hello, while Kaya greeted him politely.

"Hi," Benn said, smiling as he held out his hand. "Happy birthday."

After a little push from Kaya, Usopp took Benn's extended hand, though he let go as soon as possible. Exchanging a look with Roo, Benn handed Usopp his gift.

"What do you say to Benn?" Banchina asked Usopp.

"Thank you," he muttered as he started to tear off the paper, though his face brightened when the picture of the Lego warrior appeared on the box. "Oh cool!" he exclaimed, and both he and Kaya ran towards the corner in which they had been playing without looking back.

Banchina smiled apologetically. "Kids. Would you like something to drink? Coffee, tea?"

After they'd both asked for coffee and Banchina had retreated to the kitchen, Roo turned to Benn. "So, how's life been treating ya?"

"It's been good," Benn replied. "I obtained my doctorate and now I'm teaching at the university for real."

"Congrats!"

"Thank you. How are you?"

"I'm good too. One more year of studying and I'll be an actual vet. Right now I'm doing an internship, which will last until August."

Banchina returned from the kitchen with a tray in her hand, coffee cups and a coffeepot balancing on it. The cups were clinking together as her hands were trembling, and Benn moved to help her, but she had a determined look on her face and placed the tray on the coffee table without knocking anything over.

As she was pouring the drinks, Benn heard the sound of a key turning in the lock. He was not the only one as Usopp perked up, abandoning his new toys to stand up.

The sound of voices could be heard in the hallway, so Yasopp wasn't alone, though who he was with, Benn didn't know. Perhaps an army buddy.

Yasopp appeared in the doorway. "I heard there was a birthday boy here?"

"Daddy!" Usopp ran towards him, and it was endearing to watch Yasopp capture him in his arms and scooping him off the floor.

"Happy birthday, boy," Yasopp said, hugging him tightly.

Benn smiled and sat back down on the couch. He would have to wait his turn to greet Yasopp. Banchina was still seated as well, looking at her husband and son with a warm but tired smile on her face.

"Uncle Shanks!"

Usopp's call made Benn look up again. A man had stepped into the room, clad in army clothes and heavy boots. His bright red hair was a lot shorter than Benn remembered, but he would recognise that grin anywhere.

"Someone has gotten big!" Shanks said laughing as Usopp climbed from Yasopp over to him, and hugged him as well. "Happy birthday!" Suddenly, he looked past Usopp's curly hair and his grin stretched even further when his glance rested on Benn.

They looked at each other for a while, but then Shanks broke their eye contact, focusing on Usopp again as he put him down. "You probably want a gift, don't you?"

Usopp nodded fervently. He seemed less shy around Shanks than he was around Benn. Well, Benn was practically a stranger, after all.

Shanks produced a wrapped package from behind his back – though Benn caught Yasopp handing it secretly to him – gave it to Usopp. Usopp immediately started to unwrap it, revealing a plastic cutlass, an eye patch, and a hook.

"Thank you, Uncle Shanks!" he called. He didn't even have to be prompted by his mom.

"Your dad said you want to be a warrior of the sea when you grow up. Pirate seems like an excellent choice," Shanks said, his eyes shining mischievously. "Now, go play with your friend, okay?"

"Yes, sir!"

Shanks gave Usopp a stern look.

"I mean, aye aye, captain!" Usopp said, beaming, before running over to Kaya to show his new treasure.

"He doesn't even want to know what his old man brought him," Yasopp said with a sigh.

Shanks elbowed him in the ribs. "The fact that you're here is enough gift for him already. Some plastic pirate gear can't beat that. Now," he turned to Benn, "what do we have here?"

"Well, I bumped into Banchina at the grocery store," Benn began, but he saw no chance to finish his sentence. Shanks ran towards him, jumping him. Benn could barely brace himself in time as Shanks wrapped his legs around his waist and kissed him full on the lips, leaving him dizzy. As quickly as the greeting started, though, it was also over. Shanks dropped himself on the ground again, before Roo underwent the same ritual.

Shanks then turned to Banchina, but before he could kiss her too, Yasopp intervened.

"I would prefer it if you didn't kiss my wife, thank you," he said.

"Someone should, though," Shanks said, looking at him challengingly. Yasopp got the hint and walked over to Banchina to greet her properly.

Giving them some privacy, Shanks turned to Benn and Roo, slapping them on the forearms. "How are you? Well," he immediately continued, "I know how you are," he looked at Roo, "but I don't know anything about you." That last part was aimed at Benn, and it sounded accusingly.

"I'm... fine?" Benn said, taking in Shanks. The army seemed to have done him a lot of good, as he had definitely changed. He was broader now, and of course his hair was shorter, but there was something else different as well. He had grown up, looking much more like a man than a boy now. The cockiness had disappeared and made place for confidence. He looked good.

"Don't give me that! You know you just disappeared, right? Tell me at least you two have stayed into contact."

Benn and Roo exchanged a look.

"Are you kidding me?" Shanks burst out. "You go to the same university!"

"Well, I..." Benn started, but really, what could he say? He sucked at staying in touch with people. Even his own family had to drag him to gatherings because he usually forgot about them. "Yeah, that happened."

Shanks stared at him, and he looked back defiantly. They only lasted for a few seconds, though, when a grin broke through on Shanks' face.

"God, I missed you!" He wrapped his arms around Benn's and Roo's neck, pulling them close.

"We missed you too," Roo said, patting him on the back.

Benn hummed. "You've gotten big, by the way." He squeezed Shanks' upper arm.

Shanks moved back, beaming. "Right?"

It was amazing how easy it was to fall into old rhythm again. Shanks may have grown up, but he was still the man Benn knew and adored. Roo and Yasopp hadn't changed that much either. Benn realised how much he missed them and resolved not to let them slip away again.

They ended up playing football in the garden with Usopp and Kaya, until it turned into a variation of volleyball in which Usopp was on Yasopp's shoulders and Kaya on Roo's, while Shanks felt the need to jump on Benn's back. In addition to getting broader, he also got heavier, but Benn couldn't say he minded much to be used like a pack mule. He was just glad Shanks had changed into civilian clothes and normal shoes, so that the heavy boots wouldn't trip him up.

They stayed for dinner too, which mostly consisted of fries and apple sauce, as that was what Usopp had chosen they would eat.

After dinner, Kaya was picked up by a man who looked remarkably like a sheep and who turned out to be her butler, because apparently her family was loaded. When Kaya had left, Banchina and Yasopp went upstairs to tuck Usopp in, leaving Roo, Shanks and Benn with their coffee downstairs.

"Well," Shanks said, "tell me everything!"

They hadn't had much chance to talk, since they had been playing with Usopp, and they had a lot to talk about. Benn found out that Roo mostly helped deliver farm animals during his internship, which he had briefly mentioned before, while Shanks had already made the rank of sergeant.

"You both really found what you love to do, didn't you?" Benn asked fondly as he stole another chocolate.

"So have you, professor Beckman," Shanks said with a grin.

They looked up when Yasopp returned downstairs. "So, Banchina went to lie down for a bit," he said. "Today exhausted her."

"How is she doing?" Shanks asked.

"She's... not well." Yasopp sighed and let himself fall into a chair. Roo poured him some coffee, which he took gratefully. "She's very ill," he continued, looking at Benn. "Being a full-time mom is hard for her, but we can't hire help, not on my salary. Sometimes I think it would be better to come home for good."

"You can't quit now," Shanks piped up. "You almost have your degree. If you drop out now, it'll all have been for nothing. Is that what you want?"

"If you have a degree, you'll have a better chance of finding a well-paying job to provide for your family," Roo said. "Besides, I live close by. I can help take care of your woman."

"Thanks, I appreciate that."

"Well then, how about we leave her in peace and go toast your boy's fifth birthday, eh?" Shanks said, elbowing Yasopp in the ribs.

Yasopp grinned. "I'd like that. And _she_ 'll like that too, since you're all so noisy. I'll go tell Banchina it'll be late."

"Let's go to Shakky's bar, okay?" Shanks said, sounding excited as he turned to Benn. "You remember Shakky, right?"

"Rayleigh's wife. Of course." He had met her a few times, both in her bar, adequately called 'Shakky's Rip-off Bar', even if he got friends and family discount, and at a few events at the university. They got along pretty well.

After Yasopp came downstairs again and made them clean up the table and do the dishes, they went outside. Both Roo and Benn had come to Usopp's party by bike, and Yasopp had his in the garage. Shanks sat on the back of Benn's bike as the three of them rode to the bar. It was still relatively early in the evening, so the bar would probably not be too busy.

They neared a traffic light, and while Roo and Yasopp managed to cross when the light was orange, Benn had to stop as cars started driving.

"Say," Shanks said when they were alone. "When I leave, you're not going to disappear again, are you?"

"I'm going to try my best not to," Benn replied honestly. "I suck at keeping in contact with people, but today really showed me how much I missed you guys. A lot. So I'll try to stay in touch, I promise."

"Good," Shanks said, sounding pleased, and wrapped his arms tighter around Benn's torso and placed his head against his back.

Benn smiled and laid a hand on Shanks'. Aside from missing his friends, he had also missed getting drunk with his friends, and he was going to get hammered tonight.


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks Vergina-spva and MyLadyDay for beta'ing

* * *

Despite the relatively early hour, it was already busy in the bar, yet Shakky spotted them almost instantly. When they made eye contact, Shanks felt a grin growing on his face. In the past five years, he hadn't seen much of her.

Using his elbows to get through the crowd, Shanks made his way to the bar, closely followed by his friends. When they had finally made it across the room, Shakky crossed her arms before her chest, squinting slightly when she looked at him.

"What happened to your hair?" she finally asked.

Shanks rubbed his close-cropped head and grinned sheepishly. "It's easier this way."

Suddenly, someone bumped into Benn, who was standing behind him, causing him to stumble into Shanks. To steady himself, he placed his hands on Shanks' hips.

"Sorry," he said when he straightened again.

"Not used to much anymore, are ya?" Roo said jovially and slapped Benn on the back.

Behind the bar, Shakky shook her head. "Well, at least you got the band back together." She placed four shot glasses on the bar and filled them with a kind of booze. "Drink. On the house."

Without argument, they all grabbed a glass, holding it up in a silent toast before emptying it in one go.

Shanks inhaled deeply as the liquid burned in his throat, a feeling he had definitely missed. Not that they never threw a party in the army, but he didn't get wasted on a weekly basis like he had gotten used to during his brief period at university. He had learned to appreciate strong alcoholic beverages at an early age, too early perhaps, according to some, but Roger had never been a conventional parent.

He was started from his musings when Benn leaned past him to place his glass back on the bar. Shanks hastily followed his example and put his glass with the others. Shakky refilled them again and they repeated the ritual.

As they placed their glasses on the bar again, someone at the other side of the bar waved to get Shakky's attention and she nodded in their direction. "Go sit over there," she said to Shanks and the others, gesturing to an empty booth, hidden from sight. It was a place that Shakky reserved for people she liked. "I'll make sure you'll get something to drink."

Shakky's Rip Off Bar – which was aptly named, by the way – was not like most bars. While you could make an order, Shakky usually knew better what you wanted than you did yourself. So Shanks and his friends – who had been here on a regular basis since Shanks had introduced them to the place, at least while he went to university – didn't bother to order and just made their way to the booth.

"It's a good thing I got my salary not too long ago," Benn said with a grin once they were seated, Shanks sandwiched between him and Roo.

"It's a good thing you met Banchina in the supermarket, you mean," Shanks said, poking him in the chest. "I can't believe how bad you are with staying in touch."

Benn scratched the back of his head. "I know. I'm sorry."

"You should be sorry," Shanks said teasing. "As punishment, I think you should treat us tonight." His proposal was met with enthusiastic whooping by Roo and Yasopp.

"Then it's definitely a good thing I just got my salary," Benn said with a sigh.

"I'm sure you can afford it, _professor_ Beckman." Shanks grinned broadly.

"I have Rayleigh to thank for that," Benn said. "Without him, I would probably not have been hired."

"To Rayleigh then," Shanks said, lifting up the jug of beer that was just placed in front of him. The others followed his example with their respective drinks.

"Also, to getting the gang back together," Yasopp added with a grin.

Their glasses chimed together, beverages spilling over the edge. Shanks brought his glass to his mouth, drinking it half empty before putting it down. From the corner of his eye, he observed Benn, who wore a warm smile on his face. He seemed genuinely happy to be here, which, in turn, made Shanks glad they had met again.

Though, he was happy about that anyway. Benn looked good, still ridiculously muscular for a university professor. The only thing that seemed to have changed since last time they met was that Shanks could discern a few grey hairs between the black ones.

Roo also looked well. While they had had contact in the years Shanks was away, Shanks hadn't seen much of him either. He seemed to have found his true calling with his veterinarian education, and Shanks was glad about that. He knew it couldn't have been easy for Roo to see both him and Yasopp leave after being so close in secondary school.

Still, tonight was not about reminiscing the past, but to make merry and get really, really drunk. At least, Shanks was counting on that.

A bartender brought them new drinks, which they all grabbed except Benn, who was still working on his first.

"Come on, you're falling behind," Shanks said with a grin as he slapped him on the back.

Benn looked at him, then at Yasopp and Roo, and then at his glass. "I am going to regret this in the morning." He emptied his glass in one go and grabbed the next one.

Shanks patted his arm. "At least you'll have fun tonight."

As time passed, the bar filled up even more and it took longer before they got their drinks, but Shanks didn't care much. He was pleasantly buzzed already and, more importantly, he was with his friends. Still, he wanted to have a chat with Shakky before he was completely wasted to see how she was doing, so he had to hurry. He had to pee anyway.

As Benn sat on one side and Roo and Yasopp on the other, Shanks decided that the fasted way out was to climb over Benn. There was not much room for Benn to climb out of the booth anyway, with all the people around them.

Halfway through climbing over him, Shanks stopped, sitting down in his lap as his hands rested on Benn's upper arms. "Damn," he said, squeezing the muscles. "How do you have time to work out when you're such a workaholic?"

Benn grinned and leaned back. "I bench-press my students."

Shanks let out a snort, continuing to climb out of the booth. "I'll be right back."

Making his way through the crowd, he headed for the bathroom first, before moving to the bar. It wasn't easy, but eventually he reached Shakky who was mixing a drink for someone.

"You chose a horrible moment to chat," Shakky said before he could open his mouth, pouring the drink out of the cocktail shaker like a pro.

Shanks waited until he had tamed the barstool, which for some reason was wobbling back and forth, before he replied. "Yes, but I'm not drunk yet."

"Then I'm not doing my job right," Shakky said with a grin, gesturing to one of her bartenders to bring more drinks to Shanks' table. "You'd better go see Rayleigh while you're in town," she continued, washing and then drying a glass.

"I know, I will." There were a few people he wanted to visit while he was here, and Rayleigh was near the top of the list. "How is he doing?"

"Well enough." Shakky paused for a second, a warm smile appearing on her lips. "He is proud of you, you know?"

For a moment, Shanks didn't know what to say, which seldom happened. Being a close friend to Roger, Shanks had known Rayleigh since he had moved in with Roger. Rayleigh was one of the few people whose approval Shanks desperately sought.

Shakky smirked, aware of how she rattled him. She turned around and grabbed a seemingly random bottle, pouring him a drink. "It seems there is still an insecure boy inside that man's body, eh?"

Picking up the glass and emptying it in one, Shanks decided not to answer her. She knew him too well anyway, knowing just which buttons to push. He changed the subject, asking how she was and what she had been up to.

"I should get back to the guys," he finally said, sliding off the bar stool. "You can put everything on Benn's tab," he added before he ventured back into the crowd.

When he finally got back to the booth, Benn had slid over so Shanks could sit next to him, instead of having to climb over him. On the table, two drinks were standing ready for him.

"Come on, you're falling behind," Benn said with a wide grin on his face.

Shanks flopped down next to him, picking up both glasses and drinking them both, one after the other. He then put them down on the table, looking at his friends challengingly.

"Oh, it's on now," Yasopp piped up, waving over at the bar for another round of drinks.

"Before we get too drunk," Shanks started.

"Is there such a thing?" Roo asked with a smirk, picking up his beer.

"Well, no, good point. But," Shanks continued, "which of you lucky bastards is taking me home tonight?"

"Your things are still at my place," Yasopp said.

"Yeah, but you got your woman and kid. You should have some time alone. Next."

"You can stay with me, if you do not mind to snuggle," Roo said.

"I do not mind to snuggle. But first I want to check what's behind door number three." Shanks looked at Benn expectantly.

"Well," Benn said, thoughtful, "I have a house and a sofa bed which you do not have to share with anyone."

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner," Shanks said with a smirk, picking up a glass that was just placed in front of him. "Let's get drunk then."

Shanks wasn't sure how long they remained in the bar, but it had to be closing time when they were kicked out by Shakky. They were by no means the last to leave, though.

The world was spinning around him and he ran into at least three objects, but still Shanks couldn't stop grinning. Benn seemed to remember where he had parked his bike, so Shanks just followed him, grabbing on to his t-shirt not to lose him. He waved at Yasopp and Roo, snickering when they did not seem able to cycle in a straight line.

Benn had some trouble finding his key, but just when Shanks was about to offer his help, he retrieved it from his pocket. Shanks sat on the back, holding onto Benn's impressively trained torso. He was pretty sure Benn wasn't going straight either. _Well_ , he thought with a smirk, _definitely not straight_. He laughed out loud, wondering why Benn didn't seem to think his joke was funny, until he remembered he hadn't said it out loud. But what was it again?

He was too tired to think, placing his head against Benn's conveniently broad back. Suddenly, the world seemed to tilt, and a hand grabbed onto his arm. Shanks was immediately wide awake.

"What happened?"

"You fell asleep," Benn said.

"Oh. You have quick reflexes for a drunk guy."

"Look who's talking."

"I do not have quick reflexes," Shanks declared, before adding with a smirk, "but I am drunk."

Benn snorted. "That you are. Just stay awake for a little longer, we're almost there."

It seemed they had indeed been almost there, because when Shanks opened his eyes again, they had stopped in front of a house. Though, it was very well possible he had fallen asleep again.

Rubbing at his eyes, he managed to figure out how to get off the back of the bike, after which Benn put it away, stumbling and muttering under his breath along the way. Shanks, in the meantime, waited by the door, leaning against the post. It was more comfortable than he had expected. His head lulled to the side, but just as it connected with the wood of the door, Benn joined him. There was some struggling with keys before the door opened and they both stumbled inside.

"I can't believe you have a house," Shanks said. "Last time I was here, you were still renting an apartment."

"Last time you saw me was five years ago. Things change."

"I know, but you're such an adult. With a house and a job. Well, I have a house and a job too, but still," Shanks countered.

"I thought you gave up your room when you left university?" Benn asked, kneeling down next to the couch.

"I did," Shanks replied, distracted by something shiny.

Benn pulled at the bottom of the couch, turning more violent when it didn't do what he wanted. With a growl, he gave up.

"Come on," he said, walking into the hallway and up the stairs.

Curiously, Shanks followed him, even more so when Benn pulled his t-shirt over his head.

"You said you didn't mind snuggling, right?" Benn said as he opened a seemingly random door.

Shanks couldn't remember if he had said that, but he didn't mind snuggling and the bed looked mighty inviting. Following Benn's example, he started to strip down until his underwear, before moving to the bed. He let himself fall forward, his arms spread out. Instead of meeting with resistance and bouncing back, however, the mattress seemed to open up beneath him, bobbing him gently up and down as he landed. Confused, Shanks rolled over, almost falling off the other edge of the bed as the mattress moved beneath him like he was floating on the ocean.

He heard Benn laugh and he rolled onto his back to give him a piece of his mind, but the wavy motion beneath him was surprisingly soothing. Yawning, he rolled until he was lying on his side. He barely noticed someone placing a blanket over him. Soon enough, he was lulled to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks MyLadyDay and Vergina-spva for beta'ing

* * *

Benn didn't need to open his eyes to know that it was way too bright outside, even though he was pretty sure that the curtains were drawn. Otherwise his head would already have exploded.

God, he was getting old. He used to be able to shake off a hangover pretty easily, but right now, he felt like he had been run over by a train. More than once.

With a groan, he turned onto his side, his arm wrapping around a warm body beside him. Despite the fact that his brain felt fuzzy, like cotton candy, it did register that he should be alone in bed, as he usually was. Had he, in his drunk stupor, taken someone home? His body didn't feel like he had had sex last night, but then again, that could be because of the hangover.

Opening his eyes ever so slightly, because the light still burned, Benn was met with a head with very short, but still very bright red hair. For a moment, he panicked, wondering if he had messed up and slept with a student. Fortunately, he soon enough remembered that Shanks had dropped out of university a long time ago, so the worst thing that could have happened was that he has slept with one of his closest friends.

Shanks still appeared to be asleep, so Benn decided to see for himself what happened. Carefully, he let his hand slide down Shanks' hip under the blanket. Much to his relief, Shanks appeared to be wearing underwear, as he did himself. Considering their, or at least Benn's, state last night, Benn doubted they would have put anything back on had it been taken off.

"It's a bit early to be feeling me up," Shanks' voice suddenly sounded, heavy with sleep.

"I was trying to reconstruct what happened last night," Benn replied.

"Not that." Shanks turned onto his back, yawning. "From what I remember, you couldn't get the sofa bed out, so you invited me here."

"I couldn't," Benn started, then shook his head. "It's not hard to fold out."

"You were very drunk."

"Yeah, I figured." Benn sighed and rubbed his eyes.

Shanks tried to prop himself up on his elbows, only to fall back on his back again. "Right," he said. "I can't believe you have a waterbed. What are you, a seventies porn star?"

"I can assure you, it is impossible to have sex on a waterbed," Benn replied, dryly. "Believe me, I've tried."

"Sounds like a challenge."

"It's not." Benn moved off the bed and stretched himself, when he noticed Shanks was watching him. Not ogling him, like he might have expected five years ago, but just observing him with mild amusement.

"You hardly ever have your hair down," he commented. "I like it."

Benn turned, looking in the mirror. His hair was a complete mess, and he tried to tame it with his fingers. "It gets in the way," he grouched, tying it in a ponytail. He turned back to the bed when he heard water sloshing.

Shanks had turned around and seemed to try to get off the bed, failing miserably. Despite his current state, Benn had to laugh, immediately regretting it when pain shot through his head.

Now it was Shanks' turn to laugh. "Someone's getting old."

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh while you still can," Benn said with a snort. "Before you know it, it's your turn."

"I'm not getting older!"

"I'm sure you're not, Peter Pan. Now, while you try to get off the bed, I'm going to take a shower and make breakfast. And if you call me old again, you won't get pancakes."

Shanks looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, I do like pancakes."

"I thought so." Benn opened his bedroom door. "I'll see you downstairs."

* * *

Benn just flipped the last pancake when Shanks came downstairs, wearing awfully familiar clothes.

"I borrowed some of yours," Shanks said when he saw Benn looking. "My bag is still at Yasopp's and what I was wearing smelled like smoke and beer. Now, on the other hand," he pulled the collar of the shirt and smelled it, "I just smell like smoke." It came out accusingly.

"Yeah, yeah," Benn said, rolling his eyes. "I smoke. You're the one who insisted on coming here."

"I don't recall that," Shanks said, sitting down at the table.

"I bet you don't recall a lot of things about last night."

"More than you do," Shanks said defiantly, before adding with a smirk, "old man."

Benn, who was just about to put a plate of pancakes in front of him, paused and narrowed his eyes. "Don't make me take these away from you."

"I won't! I'm sorry! Please, I want pancakes!" Shanks pouted.

With a sigh, Benn put them down, placing his own plate across the table.

"How's your head?" Shanks asked. "Just a friendly question," he added quickly when Benn looked at him suspiciously.

"It's a little bit better," Benn replied. "I took some aspirin and drank some water."

Shanks nodded approvingly, before digging into his pancakes, practically moaning when he put a bite in his mouth.

Benn snorted. "Enjoying yourself?"

Shanks hummed. "Definitely. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about the army food, but we never get pancakes." He continued shoving them in his mouth.

Benn couldn't suppress a chuckle and decided to wait with further questions until Shanks was done eating. Meanwhile, he sipped his coffee.

When Shanks put down his fork and chewed on his last bite, Benn asked, "So, what are your plans for the rest of your stay? A week, was it?"

Shanks swallowed and nodded. "I want to visit some people. Rayleigh, for one."

"You can come with me to university tomorrow."

"That's settled then. Other than that, hanging out with you lot, of course." He grinned at Benn.

"And for today?" Benn asked, sipping his coffee.

Shanks shrugged. "Picking up my stuff at Yasopp's, I suppose. That is, assuming I can stay here?" He looked at Benn with what he was sure was meant as an angelic face, batting his eyelashes a bit too much.

Benn snorted and rolled his eyes with a smile on his face. "Fine. But tonight, you sleep on the couch."

* * *

Someone kept their finger on his doorbell, until Benn put away the essay he was grading, annoyed, and ripped the door open. There, he was met with Shanks' cheerful face. Roo and Yasopp were standing behind him, the latter carrying little Usopp.

"Take your pants off!" Shanks exclaimed, still grinning.

"Beg your pardon?" Benn said, though more for show than anything else, because this was hardly the weirdest request he had ever had from Shanks. Mind, there was usually alcohol involved then, and Shanks seemed sober enough right now.

"And put on your swimming trunks!" Shanks continued undisturbed. "We're going to the beach!" He was grinning like mad, joined by Roo and Yasopp, who, let's face it, usually were just as bad as Shanks.

"The beach? It's April. Early April at that. Heck, it was snowing a few weeks ago," Benn replied sceptically.

"So? The weather is lovely now. And how can you say no to a face like this?" Shanks took Usopp's chin, turning it towards Benn, pouting all the while.

"I'm not. I'm saying no to a face like that." He pointed at Shanks' face.

"I told you he wouldn't go for it," Roo said.

Shanks huffed, turning to Benn. "Don't be such a party pooper."

"I poop whatever I want, thank you very much," Benn said, crossing his arms before his chest, but secretly delighted he got Usopp to chuckle.

"Fine, but do it at the beach!" Shanks grabbed his wrist and stormed past him inside, dragging Benn up the stairs.

Benn was inclined to protest, but in all honesty, what would be the use? Shanks wasn't one to take no for an answer once he had made up his mind. In addition, Benn hadn't much of an excuse not to go. Yes, he had been grading essays, but it hadn't gone very well. Benn's headache hadn't faded, he was tired and suspected he might still be a little drunk, as his mind seemed to drift back to the morning, waking up next to Shanks.

"Come on, then," Shanks' voice started him from his thoughts. "Go put on your trunks and get a towel. We'll be downstairs raiding your fridge." With a wink that did more to Benn's stomach than it should, Shanks left.

The bus was late so that they had to run to catch the train to the beach, but in the end, they could sit down panting.

"Are you excited to go to the beach?" Yasopp asked Usopp, the only one not panting because he had been riding Yasopp's back as they ran across the platform.

Usopp nodded, still a little shy around semi-strangers. Yasopp gave him his colouring book and pencils before leaning back against the bench.

"I think that conductor only waited with whistling because I was carrying a child," he said, grinning sheepishly. "I should remember that."

"Didn't Banchina want to come along?" Benn asked, moving a little closer to the window and a little further away from Shanks, who was sitting next to him.

"She deserves a day off. Besides, I get the chance to spend some quality time with my son. And you lot, of course. So that's like, three birds with one stone."

Benn hummed in agreement and leaned back in his seat, watching as the landscape flashed by. He must have been dozing off, because suddenly, Shanks tapped him against his shoulder.

"We're here."

Usopp seemed really excited, holding on to his father's hand as they stepped out of the train. Shanks took Usopp's other hand, chattering just as excitedly.

The beach wasn't a long walk from the train station, though it took them a little longer as Usopp swung at Shanks' and Yasopp's arms with every step. None of them was in a hurry anyway.

There were several other people on the beach, some playing with a Frisbee or walking their dogs, but there was hardly anyone in the water. Today was the first nice day in months after all, and the sea was still incredibly cold.

None of that stopped Shanks from taking off his shirt, exclaiming, "I'm going in!"

Benn's eyes were glued to Shanks' upper body, which was much more muscular than he remembered. It didn't help that Shanks, immediately after taking off his shirt and throwing it carelessly in the sand, started to lower his pants, and Benn had to remind himself to look at something else. Perhaps a dive into the cold ocean would do him good as well.

Cheering like a child, Shanks ran into the water, only to run back as soon as the water hit his feet. "Fuck, that's cold!"

"Shanks!" Yasopp said reprimanding, gesturing to Usopp as he was helping his son to undress.

"Sorry!" Shanks took a deep breath, making himself ready to dive in when Benn came to stand next to him.

"On three?" he asked.

Shanks grinned at him and took his hand, which only prompted Benn to walk into the water faster as soon as they counted to three. Diving into the first wave he came across, it felt like the air was knocked out of his lungs. Shivering, he forced himself to stay underwater for as long as his body allowed.

"It's kinda nice once you're in, isn't it?" Shanks asked, though his teeth were chattering.

"You're crazy, you know that?" Benn replied affectionately.

"I've been told. Come in, the water is lovely!" he called to Yasopp and Usopp, who were standing at the edge of the water.

Usopp dipped in a brave toe, pulling it back screaming with delight as the ice cold water hit it.

Shanks waded back to the shore, his skin covered in goose bumps, something Benn was a little too focused on as he followed him.

"Aren't you coming?" Shanks called over to Roo, who had made himself comfortable in the sand.

"No thanks, I'm not insane," he replied cheerfully. "You'll be joining me soon enough." He started to build a hill in the sand, no doubt the beginning of a sandcastle.

Shrugging, Shanks turned to Usopp. "What about you? Are you brave enough to conquer the sea?"

Usopp put on his brave face and nodded, but bit his lip as he looked back at the sea.

"Come on, son, we'll go in together." Yasopp held out his hand and together, they took a step into the water.

Usopp braved one step, clenching his jaw against the chattering. But after the second step, a large wave rolled in, drenching him. Poor Usopp exclaimed in surprise and tried to flee the cold water by climbing his father's leg. In doing so, he pulled at Yasopp's swimming trunks. Yasopp tried to lift up Usopp, all the while holding on to his swimming trunks to prevent them from slipping down and flashing everyone.

Benn was about to come to their aid, but Shanks was quicker, lifting Usopp up and putting the sniffling boy onto his shoulders, away from the water.

"Look at that, eh? You've got the water running away from you," Shanks said cheerfully and pointed at the retreating water.

Wiping away his tears, Usopp looked at the sea with large eyes. Slowly, carefully, a smile appeared on his face. "Really?" he asked.

"Well, the sea is not afraid of me, and definitely not of Mr Ponytail there," Benn shot Shanks a deadpanned look, "so it must be the Great Usopp."

Usopp started to laugh.

"Come on, let's take you to the beach before there is no sea left," Shanks continued. "Maybe you can help Uncle Roo with his sandcastle, since he sucks at building."

At the beach, Shanks put Usopp down, who immediately ran over to Roo to help him with the sandcastle. Yasopp mouthed a thank you at Shanks, following Usopp and trying to dry him off while Usopp was playing, completely forgotten about the sea.

During the whole ordeal, Benn had found his eyes glued to Shanks every movement. Seeing him being so good with Usopp only added to the growing list of things he seemed to like more and more about Shanks.

Unfortunately, the list wasn't the only thing growing as Shanks looked over his shoulder and grinned at Benn.

With a sigh, Benn turned around and dove back into the icy water.


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks MyLadyDay and Vergina-spva for beta'ing

* * *

Somehow, after sleeping on Benn's waterbed the night before, Shanks found the fold out couch rather uncomfortable. Not that he should complain, being used to camp beds. Still, he was also used to getting up early, yet he was woken up by Benn walking around, even though he tried to be quiet.

Shanks peered from under the pillow that he had pulled over his head against the light in the living room. He could just see into the kitchen, where it appeared that Benn was making breakfast. No pancakes this time, though.

Soon enough, the smell of freshly brewed coffee was wafting through the air, and Shanks decided that it was time to get up as well. Dragging his body out of bed, he sat at the dinner table, clad in only his boxers, before Benn had carried his bowl of cereal into the living room.

Exiting the kitchen, Benn stopped in his tracks, looking slightly surprised to see Shanks suddenly at the table.

Shanks grinned at him. "Good morning."

Benn mumbled a greeting back, retreating into the kitchen. He was fully dressed already, freshly showered, it seemed, and his damp hair tied in a ponytail. He seemed... evasive, Shanks thought. He wasn't sure when exactly it had started, since he had seemed fine when Shanks arrived on Saturday. Perhaps it was still a bit of a hangover – he was eight years older than Shanks after all, and who knew how quickly the body aged – or maybe he was just preoccupied with his classes.

Benn returned, now carrying two cups of what Shanks could only assume was coffee. Gratefully, he accepted the cup.

"Any plans for today?" Benn asked after a moment of silence. He had taken a seat across from Shanks, sipping his coffee.

"Coming with you to see Rayleigh, of course. And in the afternoon, visit a friend, if I have time."

"Someone I might know?"

"I don't think s– Actually, you might have met her," Shanks interrupted himself. "Makino, my ex girlfriend?"

"I think I did," Benn said musing. "Too normal to be a friend of yours?"

"That's her!" Shanks exclaimed happily.

Benn snorted. "Then, yeah." He was silent for a moment, staring at the cup in his hand. "Can I ask you something?" When Shanks nodded, curious, he continued. "You dated her in secondary school, right?"

Again, Shanks nodded.

"Did you know about your sexuality by then?"

Shanks considered his question for a moment. "Eventually," he finally said. "I mean, I thought I was straight at first, then maybe gay or bi. Finally, I settled on pan because that felt the most fitting. But if you're asking if she knew, yes, she did. So, what about you?" Shanks asked with a grin, leaning with his head on his hand. "Still gay?"

"Yeah."

"But no boyfriend?"

"Nah."

They fell silent, sipping their coffee, when Benn suddenly seemed to remember he left his cereal in the kitchen. Returning with the bowl in his hand, he checked his watch. "If you want to catch Rayleigh before classes, we should leave in fifteen minutes. Can you make that?"

"Sure, I'll eat there."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, as Benn got his bicycle from the shed, Shanks asked, "Are you busy today?"

"Yeah, all week, unfortunately. If I'd known you were coming, I would have cleared my schedule."

"If you'd stay in touch with Roo, you would have known," Shanks countered.

"Touché." Benn swung his leg over the back of the bicycle. "Are you coming?"

Shanks sat on the back of the bike, wrapping his arms around Benn's torso. He hadn't often been in the part of town where Benn lived now, but soon enough, things became familiar as they neared the university.

"Are you coming home for dinner?" Benn suddenly asked, breaking for a traffic light.

"Home?" Shanks asked with a snort. "Are we married now?" While he could only see the back of Benn's head, he knew he rolled his eyes.

"Will you join me for dinner, then?"

"I'd like that, but I have a lot to catch up with Makino, so I'm not sure if I'll make it," Shanks replied, bracing himself when the light turned green.

"Okay, then I might work late tonight. If you change your mind, though," Benn felt in the inner pocket of his jacket and handed Shanks a business card. "That's my office number."

At the university, Shanks waited while Benn put his bike away, before entering the building together.

"Rayleigh and I share an office now," Benn said.

"Isn't that convenient," Shanks said, elbowing him in the ribs. Benn smiled, but he did widen the distance between them for some reason.

As they walked through the hall, Shanks looked around. He had been here so many times, even before he was old enough actually attend here. Roger had taken him here to see Rayleigh often, him and Buggy. Well, until...

Shaking his head, Shanks decided not to think about that now. He was excited to see Rayleigh, even if he was a little nervous. Roger had cared greatly about Rayleigh's opinion on things, and at some point, Shanks had copied that need. He really hoped Rayleigh was proud of him, like Shakky had said.

In front of the office door, Benn stopped and felt at the doorknob. "He's already here," he said over his shoulder, opening the door. "Good morning," he said to Rayleigh.

"Good morning," Rayleigh replied, not looking away from his computer screen he was squinting at. He had never been very handy with electronics.

"Morning," Shanks said with a grin.

"Morning," Rayleigh muttered again, absent-mindedly. He then froze, frowning, before looking up. Shanks felt that if his grin was growing any further, his face would split. Rayleigh's face lit up too, his eyes glistening behind his glasses.

"Look at you," he said with a smile. "Shakky told me you stopped by. And that your hair had gone."

"It's more convenient this way," Shanks said, rubbing his head. He couldn't say he didn't miss his hair, but after crawling through the mud one too many times, it did save a lot of shampoo.

Behind Rayleigh he saw Benn rummage about, before he left with a silent greeting. Shanks took his desk chair, wheeling it over next to Rayleigh, and sat down.

"It's nice you two have found each other again," Rayleigh said.

Shanks let out a snort, as Rayleigh made it sound like they were long lost lovers, but he couldn't deny that he was glad too. "Yeah, I haven't seen him since I left uni. No, that's not true, I saw him at Yasopp's wedding. But after that, not anymore. Still," he continued, "even if Banchina hadn't run into him in the store and dragged him to Usopp's birthday, I would have met him here, no doubt. No, definitely."

Rayleigh smiled. "I don't doubt that. So, Yasopp's kid's birthday, huh? How old is he again?"

"Five now."

"Time sure flies."

"It does." Pensively, Shanks stared into space, until Rayleigh started to ask about his time in the army. Rayleigh had always been easy to talk to, and Shanks told him everything that had happened in the past years, including the less fun parts he hadn't mentioned to his friends.

He kept talking until Rayleigh indicated that he had to go to a meeting. Rayleigh hugged him and said, "Come to dinner with me and Shakky. You can take Benn if you want."

"Of course. Not tonight, though, I'm going to Makino in a bit."

"Tomorrow then. And give her my regards."

Shanks promised to do so and asked where Benn was currently teaching class. The classroom wasn't hard to find, as Shanks had had classes there himself as well. Opening the door slightly, Shanks smiled as he heard Benn's voice talking about something or the other. He snuck inside and took a seat in the back of the classroom. Only a handful of students was present, though the size of the class didn't allow for that many more.

Benn had noticed him sitting down and smiled at him. Shanks grinned back and waggled his eyebrows. Benn rolled his eyes and continued his story.

There was something soothing and a bit nostalgic about listening Benn drone on and on about sociology. Shanks started dozing off, when his ears suddenly caught something. Jumping up from his chair, he raised his arm into the air. "I have a question!"

Benn looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Yes?"

Shanks glanced around. Most of the students had turned to him. "What you just said," he said, "that's what I said, five years ago."

"That's not a question," Benn deadpanned.

Shanks rolled his eyes. "Fine. What you just said, isn't that what I said five years ago?"

"You said something along those lines, yes."

"And didn't you say I was wrong?"

"I did."

"But now you're saying I'm right?"

Benn pursed his lips, considering his reply. "I guess so. In this area." He turned back to the board, ready to continue his story, but Shanks wasn't done yet.

"Why change your mind?"

The piece of chalk Benn was holding stopped short of the board, and with a sigh, Benn put it down. "I reconsidered." He seemed to hesitate, but then said, "I didn't want to believe you were right, because if you were, that would undermine my whole thesis."

"But," Shanks said, "you think I'm right now?"

"Yes. I had to start over with my thesis. So thanks a lot for that."

"You had to start over? You never told me that," Shanks protested.

Benn shrugged.

"I can't believe I was right and you weren't."

"Yes, yes, I was undermined by a first year student. Can I continue the class now or do you need to rub it in some more?" Benn asked, but there was no malice in his voice. He rather seemed amused.

"No, no, go on. I can rub it in after class," Shanks added with a grin as he sat down again.

Benn rolled his eyes again, but did continue the class. He did, however, glance at Shanks every once in awhile, and Shanks made sure to shoot him a bright grin every time.

When the class was over, it was near lunchtime. Most of the students left immediately, a few remaining to talk to each other. One had a question for Benn, and Shanks waited patiently until he was done.

Once everyone had left, he saw Benn looking at him and he grinned broadly.

"I suppose that the rubbing in starts now," Benn asked, the corners of his mouth curled into a soft smile.

"Obviously," Shanks said, beaming at him. "But first, where's my credit? You can't just steal my ideas." He tried to keep a serious face, failing miserably.

Still, Benn beckoned him. "Come with me."

Back in his office, Shanks was nearly bursting from curiosity as Benn moved towards one of the bookcases and pulled out a seemingly random book. He leafed through it until he had found the page he was looking for and then handed it to Shanks, who took it confusedly.

"Go on," Benn encouraged him. "Read it."

Doing as he was told, Shanks turned to the book, or rather, the preface of it. ' _As teachers, we all hope our students will surpass us someday_ ,' it read. ' _After all, that means we have done our job well. However, when one is corrected by a student, a rookie in sociology, it can be tough to swallow. Still, there is no room for ego in academia, even if it means starting with your research from scratch again, as happened to me. That is why I dedicate this work to my student and my friend Shanks Red, because without him, it would have looked very differently._ '

"You dedicated your thesis to me?" Shanks asked, turning the book to see the cover, graced by Benn's name.

"There's your credit," Benn said with a snort. "You're world famous among the people who have read my thesis. And since I'm working on turning it into a book, your name will be sung among sociologists everywhere."

"I can't tell if you're being sarcastic right now," Shanks said jokingly.

Benn snorted and shook his head. "Anyway, you had already left by the time I decided to start over with my research, so I never got a chance to thank you. So consider yourself thanked."

"You still owe me dinner," Shanks said with a grin. "Not tonight, though, since I don't know what time I'm back. Also not tomorrow, because then we're having dinner with Rayleigh."

"We?" Benn asked, amused.

Shanks shrugged. "We were both invited."

"Sure, why not." Benn checked his watch. "I have to get lunch now, before I have another class. Are you coming to the cafeteria?"

* * *

After lunch – which Shanks made Benn buy him – Shanks said goodbye as Benn went to his next class, and walked to the bus stop. He wasn't entirely sure where he would find Makino, as he hadn't spoken to her since they graduated secondary school, but her father's pub was a good place to start, which meant he had to go to his hometown of Foosha. He hadn't been there in over five years either.

After a short bus ride and a longer train ride, it was weird to get out at Foosha station. Things looked exactly the same as they had when he left five years ago, when Crocus had dropped him, Yasopp and Roo off as they headed to university.

He had to take the bus again to get to Makino's pub, or rather her father's, and by the time he got there, it was near two o'clock. The pub also served lunch, though, so it would be open already.

The building also looked the same, with the sign dangling crooked above the door. It was a place where mostly only the locals hang out, or at least it had been. Suddenly, Shanks felt slightly nervous. No doubt the same people would be inside, drinking. Would they recognise him? Would Makino? He rubbed his nearly bald head and suddenly wished his hair would grow back.

Still, he wanted to see Makino. She either would be working here, or her father could tell him where she was.

Pushing open the wooden door – which still creaked, and Shanks had to smile at the feeling of nostalgia – his eyes had to adjust to the relative darkness inside. At the tables were a few regulars, all too caught up in their own thoughts and drinks to pay him much heed.

Behind the bar, Makino was drying glasses. Other than the guests, she did look up when Shanks entered, frowning and cocking her head as she looked at him, trying to place him.

"Hello, love." He couldn't help but grin when she covered her mouth with her hands and then dashed from behind the bar to hug him.

"I can't believe it's you!" she exclaimed, feeling at his arms. "You've been working out! I didn't know that was a requirement for sociologists."

"It's not." At least as far as Shanks knew, though both sociologists he knew, namely Benn and Rayleigh, liked to keep in shape. "I joined the army," he added sheepishly.

"No!" Makino exclaimed disbelievingly. "Well, that does explain the hair."

He just grinned.

"Well, come on! Have a seat and tell me everything!" She took his hand and guided him to the bar stools, reclaiming her position behind the bar.

Only now Shanks noted the little boy sitting on one of the bar stools, licking a plate clean. In front of him was a glass with a translucent, yellow liquid.

"Isn't it a little early to drink?" he joked.

"That's apple juice. And he's five," Makino said reprimanding. "Some people start drinking at an appropriate age, you know."

"I didn't start when I was five," Shanks protested, taking the seat next to the boy.

Makino shook her head, addressing the boy. "Why don't you introduce yourself?"

The boy put down the plate, leftovers of food still sticking to his face as he turned to Shanks and grinned. "I'm Luffy!"

"Hi Luffy, I'm Shanks." He turned back to Makino. "He's not yours, is he? Because if he's five-"

"He's not yours," she interrupted him. "Nor is he mine. His grandfather asked me to watch him since his regular babysitter wasn't available." She paused for a second, seemingly considering whether or not to tell him something.

"What?" he asked.

Makino took a deep breath, placing a basket of potato chips in front of Luffy, which he immediately started to scarf down. "His last name is Monkey."

"No way! As in, Garp Monkey? That does explain the appetite," Shanks added thoughtfully. "But I can't believe that old bastard reproduced again!" he exclaimed.

"Language!" Makino hissed. "And no. He's Dragon's son."

"Dragon has a kid? What about the mom?"

Makino eyed Luffy, but he was still happily eating and didn't seem to be paying attention to them. "I don't know any of the details, just that Luffy is Dragon's kid and that Garp is raising him because Dragon is God knows where."

"I was wondering which parent would bring their kid to a pub," Shanks said jokingly. "But when it's Garp, it makes sense."

Makino shrugged. "It's only because his regular babysitter wasn't available and Garp had to take Luffy's brother to the hospital."

"Wait, wait, now Dragon has two kids?" Shanks asked confusedly.

"No, Ace is... Again, I don't know the details, only that Garp got another kid from somewhere – not his own, mind you – which he raises along with Luffy."

"Huh," was all Shanks could say. It would seem that some things had changed, after all. "So is he okay? If he has to go to the hospital."

"Yes, he only broke his arm."

"Ace was trying to break into the haunted house," Luffy declared, obviously proud of his brother. "Then he fell off the wall, shishishi!"

"Haunted house?" Shanks raised an eyebrow. "Since when do we have a haunted house?"

Makino seemed to hesitate, before she said, "He means... Roger's old house."

"Oh." Shanks fell silent for a moment, not even touching the beer Makino had placed in front of him. In his will, Roger had left the house in Foosha to Shanks, while he left another one to Buggy. Well, technically Shanks didn't own it yet, only when he turned twenty-five or when he received a degree, whichever came first. The house had been empty since Roger's arrest, though, when Shanks and Buggy had gone to live with Crocus, and Shanks hadn't been there since. He hadn't expected the rumours that it was haunted, though.

He turned to Luffy. "I don't think it's haunted."

"It is! Ace says so!"

"Well, Ace is wrong," Shanks said with a snort.

"Nu-uh!"

"Je-huh!"

"Are you really having an argument with a five year old?" Makino asked with a sigh as she wiped the bar.

"I'm winning an argument with a five year old," Shanks replied, proudly crossing his arms before his chest.

"Which rank did you have again?"

"Sergeant." Shanks pouted. "But I'm still right!" He turned back to Luffy. "And I can prove it."

"How?"

"I'm gonna show you the house."

"Really?" When Shanks nodded, Luffy cheered. "Yay! Ace said I couldn't go." Now it was his turn to pout.

"Let's go then." Shanks took a long draught of his beer before hopping off his barstool, followed by Luffy who also clambered down.

"Shanks! You can't just take a kid!" Makino called after him.

"But he wants to go!" he called over his shoulder as he took Luffy's hand and walked out of the bar.

Behind him, Makino made a frustrated sound. "I can't come with you, I have to watch the bar! You better have him back within the hour! Do you hear me?"

* * *

Actually standing in front of the house for the first time in years brought out more emotions than Shanks had expected and he had to swallow a few times as he stared at the mansion. It looked the same for the most part, even if it could do with a new coat of paint.

Suddenly, Shanks feared what he would find inside. It had been empty for years, and though most valuable items had been removed a long time ago, it was still the biggest house in town. But then again, who would be stupid enough to break into the house of Roger Gol, even if he had died a long time ago?

Only when Luffy took his hand, Shanks started from his thoughts. Luffy was pouting and he seemed scared, so Shanks squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I promise, there are no ghosts there."

Taking the keys from his pocket – he always carried those with him, even if he hadn't had plans to visit until he met Luffy – and stuck one in the keyhole of the gate. Squeaking like a coffin opening, Luffy let out a yelp. Shanks resolved to take some oil next time and patted Luffy on the head.

"Why do you have the keys?" Luffy asked.

"Because this is my house, sorta. And I wouldn't like it to be haunted."

"Ace says a bad man used to live here," Luffy whispered.

Shanks stared at the house, surrounded by a neglected garden. "He wasn't a bad man. He was..." It was hard to classify Roger. Though he had definitely done things that weren't kosher, he had been like a father to Shanks and Buggy, giving them a home when no one else would.

"He was a man," Shanks finally said. "A normal person, who did some bad things. Have you never done anything bad?"

Luffy looked at him as if he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and considering the appetite Shanks had witnessed, chances were that that was the bad thing Luffy had done. Smiling, he held out his hand again.

Together, they walked the paved path towards the front door, shutting the gate behind them. The garden was a mess, the grass reaching to Shanks' knees. When Roger had been alive, the garden had been well-cared for, with a gardener who came once a week. Now, it was more like making his way through the jungle.

It took some struggling to get the key turned in the lock, and Shanks held his breath as he opened the door. As he stepped inside, his legs trembling, he took a deep breath, immediately sneezing when dust tickled his nose. The sound echoed around the house, and Luffy clutched at his leg.

"It's okay, it's just the echo." After all, the only ghosts around here were the ones from Shanks' past.

He walked through the hall, Luffy still clinging to his leg. Most of the furniture had been covered by sheets, on which layers of dust had collected. Not everything was covered, though, and Shanks stopped in front of a photo frame.

"Who's that?" Luffy asked, slowly letting go of Shanks.

Shanks smiled. "My family." He took the picture frame from its hook on the wall, him, Roger and Buggy all laughing. He remembered the day that photo was taken, not even that long after Roger had taken them in. They had been picnicking in the park, and Rayleigh had taken the photo.

"Why does he have such a big red nose?" Luffy asked, pointing at Buggy.

Shanks let out a laugh. "Don't say that to his face, he'll yell at you." The smile disappeared as he looked at the photo again, suddenly missing Buggy enormously. Buggy had left as soon as they graduated from secondary school, not trying to stay in touch at all. On some level, Shanks couldn't really blame him. He had taken Roger's death particularly hard, and things had never been the same after that.

Shanks felt the sudden urge to start telling stories to Luffy about Buggy, from before the tragedy, making him laugh and forgetting he was standing in a so-called haunted house. Shanks showed him around, to his old room, even if most of his things had been collected when he went to live with Crocus. It had something therapeutic to walk around here again after so many years, now that the sadness had numbed. He didn't dare to go into Roger's room, though.

Suddenly, he heard a growling sound and for a second, he wondered if the house was haunted after all, when he saw Luffy clutching at his stomach.

"I'm hungry!" he whined.

"Didn't you just eat at Makino's?" Shanks asked, his eyebrows raised.

Luffy just pouted.

Shanks sighed. "Well, I guess you're still growing." Opening the door to the pantry, he grabbed the first can he saw. "Meatballs." He looked around. The electricity and gas had long ago been turned off, so there was no way to heat them up.

"I guess it's time to get you back anyway," he said, putting the can back. "Makino will be so mad."

He held out his hand and walked with Luffy towards the front door. As he looked back one last time, his eye caught a hat that was hanging from the coat rack. Letting go of Luffy's hand, he reached for it, hesitating before he finally took it. He lovingly stroked the straw.

"This was Roger's favourite," he said, a soft smile on his face. Luffy looked at him with large eyes.

Shanks put the hat on his head and grinned at him. "How do I look?"

"You look weird! Shishishi!"

Shanks shrugged. "Weird will do." He took Luffy's hand again, leaving the hat where it was, and walked towards the door. Just as he pulled it shut behind him, he all but bumped into a fuming Garp.

"Oh, well, hello Mr Monkey," he said cheerfully.

"That's Inspector Monkey to you, brat," he growled.

"That's Sergeant Brat to you, Inspector," Shanks replied, still grinning.

"Sergeant, eh? So you did join the army." Garp snorted, showing he was mildly impressed. "At least you didn't follow in Gol's footsteps."

"There's still time." Only now, Shanks noticed the scowling boy with his arm in a plaster cast. "You must be Ace." All he got was a deadly look, even though Ace couldn't be older than eight.

"Ace! I was inside! It's not haunted!" Luffy declared proudly.

Ace just huffed and turned away.

Garp took Luffy's hand roughly. "You'd better not give him the wrong impression about Roger," he said to Shanks.

"What? Afraid I might be a bad influence because of who raised me?" Shanks asked defiantly.

"I don't judge children based on the actions of their parents." For some reason, Garp eyed Ace, who was looking to the ground. "And there's hope for you yet, kid," Garp continued. "Stay in the army and I might let you see my grandson again." He lifted Luffy on his arm and started walking away, holding Ace's good hand.

"What do you mean, 'might'?" Shanks called after him.

Garp looked over his shoulder. "You kidnapped him. Be glad I'm not pressing charges."

"He wanted to come!" Shanks called, but Garp didn't look back.

"Bye Shanks!" Luffy shouted, looking over Garp's shoulder. "Come play with me again soon!"


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks MyLadyDay & Vergina-spva for beta'ing

* * *

"Well, don't you look handsome," Shanks said as Benn moved past him in the hallway of Rayleigh's house.

"I do look handsome," Benn replied, taking off his jacket.

"Don't you want to say anything about me?" Shanks asked.

"Hm?" Benn asked, trying to hide his smile when Shanks pouted.

"Just tell him he looks pretty so we can eat," Shakky said as she appeared in the hall. "Hello, dear."

"Hi Shakky." Benn kissed her cheek and handed her a bottle of wine.

"Ehm, hello?" Shanks said.

"Yes?" Benn asked. "Would you like a kiss too?"

"Yes."

Benn shrugged. He should have seen that answer coming, so he leaned in. Shanks turned his head slightly so their lips almost met if Benn hadn't had such quick reflexes. He shot Shanks, who looked like innocence itself, a deadpanned look and followed Shakky to the living room.

When he saw Benn, Rayleigh folded the paper he was reading and rose from the couch. "Glad you could make it," he said, shaking Benn's hand. "I know it's not always easy to tear yourself away from your students' essays."

"To be honest, I needed a break," Benn said. "My head was starting to hurt from slamming it against the desk so much."

Rayleight laughed heartily and slapped him on the shoulder. "I know that feeling too."

"Dinner's in ten minutes," Shakky said, handing Benn a glass of wine.

"Do you need help in the kitchen?" Benn asked.

"Yes," Shakky replied, "from my husband." She beckoned Rayleigh.

Shanks entered the room again and let himself fall on the couch. He patted invitingly next to him.

Benn took the invitation, as well as the glass of wine Shakky handed him before disappearing back to the kitchen.

"So," Shanks said, turning sideways on the couch, "are you happy?"

Benn took a sip so he could think about the question. "Happy?" he finally asked.

"You know, living here," Shanks gestured vaguely around, "being a teacher... You hated teaching when we met. Then again, you hated me when we first met, so..."

"I never hated you," Benn retorted. "I just thought you were a pompous ass."

"Good thing you found out you were wrong, right," Shanks said, laughing. "Right?" he repeated, the smile disappearing from his face when Benn just kept sipping wine. Finally, he huffed. "Whatever. You love me."

Benn almost choked on his beverage.

Shanks shot him a funny look, but fortunately for Benn, Shakky entered the room again carrying a steaming dish. Benn hastened himself to the table, careful not to spill his wine. Shanks followed him, but fortunately didn't say anything.

Rayleigh carried in a bowl of salad before he joined them. There, they waited until Shakky finally sat down as well.

"Oh, before I forget, Benn," Shakky said as she was dishing out food, "you're single, aren't you?"

"Yes," he replied slowly and suspiciously, trying really hard not to look at Shanks.

"I have a new bartender," she continued unfazed. "He seems to be just your type."

"What _is_ Benn's type?" Shanks mixed into the conversation.

Shakky shrugged. "Well, I'd say someone serious, but sweet, albeit grumpy, a bit like him."

"Doesn't the opposite attract?" Shanks asked, challengingly.

"I don't think so." Shakky folded her hands, leaning on them. "I mean, if you want to have a long lasting relationship, you have to be on the same wavelength."

"Could you pass the salad, please?" Rayleigh asked, and Benn hoped that the conversation would shift with that, but of course, he had no such luck.

"Well?" Shakky asked as she handed Rayleigh the bowl. "Are you interested?"

"I..." Benn started, wondering how he should explain. Of course, he could just say no thanks and leave it at that, but Shakky and Rayleigh deserved a little more than that, not in the least to prevent such occurrences in the future.

Before he could continue, however, Shanks intervened. "Benn doesn't work like that," he said.

"Like what?" Shakky asked, sounding genuinely curious.

' _Like a normal human being_ ,' Benn thought bitterly, because that would make things easier for him at times, but Shank had a better description.

"Like... He isn't attracted to people often, and when he is, he has to have a deep emotional connection first. What?" he asked when he saw Benn look at him. "That's what you told me. Or didn't you want them to know? They're very open minded."

"No, it's fine," Benn said.

"I see," Shakky said, leaning back in her chair. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"No, no," Benn hastily said, "I appreciate that you think of me."

Shakky smiled and nodded, turning to Shanks. "Well, since you believe that the opposite attracts, are you interested? He's a sweet boy."

"No, thank you," Shanks replied, much to Benn's surprise. "I don't want someone _like_ Benn."

Benn snorted and was about to reply Shanks could do much worse than him, to soothe his pride, when he realised how much emphasis had been placed on the word 'like'. Shanks wouldn't have meant...?

The conversation turned to different subjects, like Rayleigh's and Benn's work and Shanks' time in the military. He was rather vague about that, Benn noted, but because he wasn't allowed to share much or because he didn't want to, Benn didn't know.

After dessert with coffee, Shakky ushered Rayleigh towards the kitchen to do the dishes, but not before declining Benn's help again, and Benn took it as his cue to leave. Shanks followed him to the hallway, but when he took Benn's coat from the coat rack and helped him into it, Benn felt slightly surprised – not to mention disappointed.

"Aren't you coming?" he asked.

"I'm staying here tonight," Shanks explained. "I'm visiting Crocus tomorrow, and Rayleigh's taking me. You remember Crocus, right? He took me in when... When Roger died."

Benn nodded. "I remember."

"Don't worry," Shanks continued cheerfully. "Tomorrow evening I'm sleeping at your place again."

"Can't wait," Benn said, somehow managing to sound deadpanned rather than actually excited. He moved past Shanks towards the living room, in order to properly say goodbye, and he wondered if it was an accident that their hands brushed together. His heart skipped a beat.

When he was finally outside alone, though not before promising he would come over again soon, Benn leaned against the brick wall, ignoring the drizzle coming down. His obsession with Shanks was starting to become ridiculous. Shanks had been right, he hardly ever felt attracted to people. It had only happened twice before, and both times had ended in heartbreak.

He didn't even know Shanks as long as he had known the other two people he had been in love with – was he in love with Shanks? Benn laughed hollowly. He had known Shanks for half a year, and now five years had passed without them meeting or even communicating. Shanks had changed a lot in the meantime, as Benn had no doubt as well.

And yet... Benn trusted Shanks unconditionally, and apparently, that was enough for his brain – and body – to decide he was a suitable mate.

* * *

Benn started awake from a sound coming from downstairs, but somehow, instinctively, he wasn't afraid or guarded. Another sound, a curse and shushing, explained why he was at ease, and he smiled. He hadn't seen Shanks all day on Wednesday after saying goodbye on Tuesday and tried – unsuccessfully – not to think about him either. Now it would seem that Shanks was back using the key Benn had slipped him, and not able to keep quiet.

Benn rose from his bed, opening the door of his bedroom a little more. The sounds had quieted down, so Shanks had probably found his way to the sofa.

Benn moved to walk downstairs, but resisted the urge, shaking his head. He didn't know in what state Shanks was – sober or not, or how tired. Besides, it would be all too tempting to join him on the bed.

* * *

Benn hadn't seen Shanks all day, again. When he had gotten up, the fold-out sofa had already been put away and there had been no sight of Shanks. Still, there was evidence that he had been there – and not some random burglar – if only the pair of boxers that hung over the arm of the couch that hadn't been there before. Frowning, Benn had taken the underwear between thumb and index finger and had thrown it on Shanks' open bag.

Benn only had to teach in the morning on Thursdays, though he was hardly free in the afternoon, having to prepare for his next classes. He was lying on the couch, surrounded by papers and books, when the front door opened. Benn could hear someone whispering, and then Shanks' voice clearer, "I'll go see if he's home."

A familiar head peered around the living room door, grinning when he saw Benn. "Oh, hey. You don't have classes now?" As Shanks spoke, he pushed something – or someone – behind him.

Benn frowned. "No, never on Thursday afternoon. Also, I don't really appreciate it if you have sex with someone here while I'm not home. Not that I would appreciate it if I were at home, which I am," he hastily added before Shanks could say anything. "So you can just find someplace else."

Instead, though, Shanks frowned. "That's not what this is." He opened the door further, and a black haired boy peered around his legs. The kid couldn't be older than five.

"Benn, meet Luffy. Luffy, that's Benn," Shanks introduced them.

The boy beamed at him. "Hi!"

"Hi," Benn said, before turning to Shanks. "Shanks, whose kid is this?"

"Garp's," Shanks replied, as if that explained everything. "He wanted to see where I was staying, so I took him here."

"I'm thirsty," Luffy said.

Despite himself, Benn rose from the couch and walked to the kitchen, as Luffy bounced after him. Opening the fridge, Benn frowned when he saw how empty it was – he really needed to do groceries. "Do you want some milk?" he asked.

Luffy nodded.

Benn opened the carton, taking a quick whiff to see if it wasn't spoiled, and then poured a glass, which he handed to Luffy. Luffy immediately started to drink, lowering the glass only when it was empty with a happy sigh.

"Nice moustache," Shanks said grinning, and then tilted his head. "You actually remind me of someone."

Luffy laughed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Seriously, Shanks, do his parents know he's here?" Benn asked now that Luffy was taken care of.

"Why would you automatically assume that they don't?" Shanks asked.

"Do they?"

Shanks started to pout. "Garp doesn't want me near Luffy, which is just mean. And he wanted to come."

"You kidnapped a kid?!"

"It's not kidnapping! He wanted to come!"

Benn gave him a deadpanned look. "Come," he said, walking to the door. When Shanks didn't move, he added through gritted teeth, "Now."

"No," Shanks said defiantly as he pouted. "You're gonna make me take him back, and we just got from Foosha!"

"He's from Foosha?!"

Shanks opened his mouth to say something, then seemed to realise he had put his foot in his mouth there and instead pouted.

"In the car," Benn growled. "Now." He turned around and grabbed his coat without looking back.

"But..." Shanks protested, "I'm his godfather!"

Benn turned around, looking sceptically. "You are? Since when?"

Shanks opened his mouth, but then closed it again when he seemed not to be able to come up with a good remark.

"I thought so. You can't just decide if you are a godparent, you have to be asked," Benn said. "By the guardians. And do you even know what a godfather does?"

"Being cooler than the parents?" Shanks said.

Benn sighed and rolled his eyes. "No, the godparents take care of the child when something happens to the guardian. And I would not wish you taking care of a child on anyone. Now. Get. Into. The. Car."

Pouting again, Shanks took Luffy's hand and led him outside. "You're mean," he muttered when he passed Benn.

"But I don't wanna go home yet!" Luffy whined and struggled as Shanks dragged him along.

"See? _Now_ I'm kidnapping him," Shanks snapped. He then stopped in his tracks as he approached the car. "Wait, isn't this Rayleigh's car?"

Benn didn't reply as he gently nudged Luffy into the car and strapped him in on the backseat. His own car he had sold a few years ago because he didn't use it anyway. The university was within cycling distance, as where other places he needed to be on a regular basis. Today, though, Rayleigh had asked him to pick up some books – and with some, apparently, he had meant a several crates – and Rayleigh was in meetings all day, so he had asked Benn to do it. Benn didn't think Rayleigh would mind if he brought back a kidnapped child. It would be easier to control Shanks when they were confined to a vehicle.

He then turned towards Shanks after shutting the car door, raising his eyebrow.

"I can put on my own seatbelt," Shanks said, pouting, and stepped into the passenger's side.

Benn said nothing and walked around the car to get behind the wheel.

"Look," Shanks said as soon as Benn had started the engine, "I know you're mad at me, but I didn't do anything wrong! I was in Foosha, meeting up with some people, and then I saw Luffy, so I went to talk to him, and he asked if he could see where I was staying, and I asked if he wanted to see. He said yes, so I took him here."

Benn looked straight ahead, focusing on the road ahead.

"Garp, Luffy's granddad, he knows me," Shanks continued. "He doesn't like me, but I think that has more to do with Roger than me. And no, I'm not really Luffy's godfather, but I like him. He reminds me of Roger. You know, if Roger had been a five year old. Maybe Luffy is his reincarnation," he added happily. When Benn didn't reply, he whined, "Come on, Benn! Don't ignore me! Talk to me!"

Benn took a slow, deep breath, before turning to Shanks. "You are a sergeant. You're supposed to be an adult. That includes knowing that taking a child without the guardian's permission is not okay!"

"It's not like I lured him into a van with candy," Shanks protested. "And that would really work on Luffy, so letting him play unsupervised is not okay either," Shanks countered. "You should be happy _I_ snatched him up."

Benn opened his mouth, then closed it again. "That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. You don't take other people's children. Period."

"But he..." Shanks started to protest, but then started to pout again. "You're mean. I liked it better when you ignored me." He crossed his arms and looked defiantly out of the window. "You know," he turned back almost immediately as if he had already forgotten he was going to ignore Benn, "Maybe you should just ask Luffy. Luffy," he turned around in his seat, "did I ask you if you wanted to come?"

"Yes!" Luffy called happily.

"What did you say?"

"I said yes!"

"And did I use candy or something to 'lure' you?" Shanks cast a glance at Benn.

"No! But I want candy!" Luffy laughed. "And Ace always goes places I can't go, so now I'm going places he can't go! Shihihi!"

"Who's Ace?" Benn asked.

"Luffy's brother. Of sorts."

"Of sorts?"

"It's a long story. Complicated family. Don't know the details."

Benn rolled his eyes and focused on the road again.

"I'm bored," Luffy said.

Benn sighed deeply. He did not sign up for one – no, scratch that – two children.

"Why don't you put on some music?" Shanks suggested.

Though something in his voice sounded a little too innocent, Benn leaned in to press the button of the CD player.

A voice howled from the speakers, followed by the sound of a guitar being tortured. Benn swerved, and an oncoming car honked its horn angrily.

"Fucking hell!" Benn exclaimed, turning off the music.

"Language!" Shanks said, trying to keep a straight face, which seemed to take him some trouble. "What?" he asked, blinking innocently. "You didn't know Rayleigh was a hard core death metal fan?"

"I did not," Benn said through gritted teeth. "I take it you did?"

"I did. I even went to concerts with him and Shakky." Shanks couldn't hold himself together anymore and doubled over with laughter. Luffy happily joined in.

"Let's just listen to the radio," Benn grouched and leaned in to turn it on, turning down the volume considerably.

They drove on in relative silence, only interrupted by an occasional chuckle out of Shanks and Luffy singing a made up song. Benn was content that way and he focused on the road, until a tiny finger tapped his shoulder.

"Yes?" he asked, glancing in the rear view mirror.

"Can you poop?" Luffy asked.

Frowning, Benn looked at Shanks, who just shrugged.

"Sounds like a reasonable question to me."

"Yes, Luffy, I can poop," Benn replied, eying Shanks. "Though sometimes I get constipated when I have to fix other people's stupid mistakes."

"What's con..sptu...tated?" Luffy asked.

"It means you can't poop," Shanks said, before turning to Benn. "And are you sure that's because of me, and not rather because of that stick up your ass?"

Benn shot him a deadly glare. Shanks just looked defiantly back.

"Shishishi, you said ass!"

Benn rolled his eyes.

"I have to pee," Luffy said.

"Can't you hold it?" Benn asked. "We're nearly there."

Luffy shook his head.

Benn sighed deeply. Fortunately, there had just been a sign for a gas station, and Benn swerved into the lane just in time. Passing the gas station itself, he parked the car.

"No, you stay put," he said sternly when Shanks turned to open the car door. "I'll take him."

Shanks pouted and crossed his arms before his chest, but he did remain in his seat.

Benn got out of the car and opened the door for Luffy, who all but rolled outside. Together, they walked towards the shop at the gas station, and Luffy slipped his hand into Benn's. Benn looked up in surprise and fought the smile that was threatening to creep up his face.

"This little guy needs to go to the bathroom," he told the cashier. The young woman looked up from her magazine, bright pink bubblegum popping as she handed Benn the key. Benn didn't think she could look less interested if she tried. "Where is it?"

She gestured it was around back before turning back to her magazine.

Luffy let go of his hand and ran ahead. When Benn arrived at the bathroom door, Luffy was doing a little dance to hold it in. Benn smiled, but hastened himself to open the door.

Fortunately, there was a kiddie toilet so Luffy probably wouldn't need help. Luffy ran inside, and soon enough, Benn heard a splashing sound and a relieved sigh. Chuckling, Benn waited until Luffy was done.

Luffy exited the stall and ran towards the door.

"Did you flush?" Benn asked sternly.

Luffy hesitated and then ran back. Once he was done, he waited by the door again.

"Yeah, you're gonna wash your hands first," Benn said, and scooped him off the ground so he could reach the sink.

As they returned to the store and Benn wanted to hand the key back to the disinterested cashier, he noticed Luffy wasn't following him anymore. Turning around, Benn found him standing in front of the snacks section. A loud growling sound arose from his stomach as he clutched it.

"You're hungry?" Benn asked with a smile.

Luffy turned around, his eyes large and a pout that would even melt the coldest of hearts. Benn sighed, but the smile was still on his face.

"Fine, then. Pick out something. _One_ thing!" he added, when Luffy spread his arms wide to grab as many bags of chips as possible. Luffy pouted again, but this time, Benn wasn't swayed and just held up one finger.

It took a while, but finally Luffy picked something he wanted and it took even longer to convince him to give it to Benn so that he could pay for it, but eventually, Benn was in front of the cashier again. At the last moment, Benn grabbed a candy bar and handed them to the cashier, who sighed as if Benn had ruined her day.

Shanks was still pouting in the car when they returned, Luffy having climbed into Benn's leg to get the candy bar, as he had already eaten his own snack. Benn put the candy bar in his back pocket and managed to wrestle Luffy back into his seatbelt.

As he took his seat behind the wheel, he dropped the candy bar in Shanks' lap.

"What's this?" Shanks asked, picking up the bar.

"A peace offering."

"Why?"

"Because I don't like to argue with you," Benn said.

"You love arguing with me," Shanks retorted.

"I love debating you, not fighting with you."

"What are we doing now, then?" Shanks asked cheekily, "debating or fighting?"

Benn shot him a deadpanned look. "Don't make me take away your candy bar again."

"Really? Stooping to threats? That's no way to win an argument," Shanks said with a grin as he tore open the wrapping.

"That's it." Benn grabbed the candy bar out of his hands.

"Give it back! You don't even like sweets!" Shanks climbed half out of seat, getting entangled with his seatbelt.

"You're right." Benn tossed the candy bar to the back, where it was immediately devoured by Luffy.

"Smart plan," Shanks said sarcastically, sitting back in his seat. "Give the boy more sugar."

Benn looked over his shoulder where Luffy was already bouncing up and down. "Okay, my bad."

"It's a good thing it's not that long of a drive anymore." Shanks grinned.

Benn sighed and started the engine.

It didn't take long for them to reach Foosha, or at least it didn't take a lot of time, but it felt like hours as Luffy was bouncing around, insofar his seatbelt allowed it, pointing out every bird and asking what various things were, and why they were that. He asked why a lot.

When they finally reached the city, Benn asked, "So where do I go now?"

"How should I know?" Shanks replied.

Slowly, Benn turned his head towards him. "What?"

"I said, how should I know? I met the kid on Monday, at Makino's, and today in the park. I have no idea where he lives."

Benn took a few slow, deep breaths. "Didn't you say you knew his grandfather?"

Shanks shrugged. "That doesn't mean I know where he lives."

Benn continued taking his slow breaths. "Luffy, you wouldn't happen to know where you live, would you?"

It took a few times calling his name and repeating the question, but finally Luffy shook his head. Benn sighed deeply.

"So what now? Am I supposed to drive around until he recognises something?" He slapped the steering wheel in frustration. "This is not how I wanted to spend my free afternoon."

"We can always bring him back to the park, where I found him," Shanks suggested. "Oh, I know! Take a left here."

A bit surprised, Benn did as he was asked, even though Shanks wouldn't tell him where they were going.

"Right here, stop right here!" Shanks suddenly called out.

Benn did as he was told, though he saw nothing remarkable about the street they were in. Until Shanks got out of the car and Benn saw which building he was heading to.

"Shanks, you're not going drinking in a bar! Shanks, get your a... Get back here!" When Shanks didn't come back, Benn sighed and placed his head on the steering wheel, turning to Luffy. "Please do not grow up to be like him."


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks Vergina-spva and MyLadyDay for beta'ing

* * *

Benn was just finding a place to park the car, when Shanks exited the bar again, followed by a familiar looking woman.

"...Can't believe you did it a second time," Benn heard her say.

Shanks opened the passenger's door and stepped in, while the woman walked around the car to Benn's side of the vehicle. Benn lowered his window so she could lean inside.

"Hi Makino!" Luffy exclaimed from the backseat.

"Hi Luffy," she replied, before turning to Benn. "So, I heard Shanks kidnapped Luffy again?"

"Again?" Benn looked at Shanks, raising his eyebrow.

"Not kidnapped!" Shanks protested, pouting.

Makino rolled her eyes. "To get to Luffy's house, follow this road, then turn right." She explained the directions to him and made him repeat them. "Good," she finally said. "If you reach Grey Terminal, you've gone too far. Shanks'll know. Bye, Luffy! Behave yourself, okay?"

"Bye, Makino!" Luffy called, even though Benn had already closed the window and she was headed back to the bar.

Benn looked at Shanks, but he was still turned away and pouting. Benn rolled his eyes and started heading in the direction Makino had pointed out.

"Shanks," he asked when it had been quiet for a while, "what's Grey Terminal?"

"It's a cemetery."

"Is that where," Benn hesitated, "Roger is?" He knew next to nothing about Roger, as neither Shanks nor Rayleigh was inclined to talk about him.

"Hm? No." Shanks turned back to the window, a sad look in his eyes.

Benn turned back to the road, dropping the subject. Shanks didn't seem about to open up, and Benn didn't want to pry. He drove as Makino had indicated, and slowed down once he reached the right street, looking for the house number.

"Oh, there's Ace," Luffy suddenly exclaimed. "Hi, Ace!" he yelled, pounding on the window. "Ace!"

Benn stopped the car in front of a house. In the front yard, a boy of about eight was reading a book.

Shanks lowered the window. "Hey, Ace! Remember me?"

The boy, Ace, looked up disturbed, a shocking amount of disdain in his eyes for someone his age. He then rose without saying a word and headed inside.

Luffy stopped slamming on the window – which he by some miracle hadn't shattered yet – and pouted. "Boo. Ace is such a grumpy pants."

"He is indeed," Shanks agreed.

Benn reached back to help Luffy out of the entanglement that was his seatbelt.

"U-oh," Shanks suddenly said.

Benn looked up from what he was doing. "What is it?"

"We've got company."

A large woman had emerged from the house, an unlit cigarette dangling from her lips and a face like thunder. Ace emerged from behind her, looking unsettlingly pleased with himself. With large, resolute paces, the woman walked towards the car, which Benn wouldn't be surprised if she smashed with her bare hands.

"So what ya gonna do now?" he asked.

Shanks gave him a deadpanned look. "Duh, dial up the charm." He turned down the window and put up an – indeed – very charming smile, insofar Benn could judge in the side mirror. "Hello, ma'am. Beautiful weather we're having, hm?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why is Luffy in your car?" she boomed.

"Oh, well, I found him in the park and thought I'd give him ride home," Shanks said innocently.

Benn snorted.

"Hi Dadan!" Luffy shouted. "I was in the park, and then Shanks took me to his house and now I'm here again!"

Benn and Shanks both signed.

"You did what?!" she shrieked.

"I just want to point out it wasn't kidnapping, before you jump to conclusions," Shanks hastily said. "I asked him if he wanted to come."

Dadan narrowed her eyes again. "I know who you are. You are not to come near Luffy." She all but ripped open the car door and dragged Luffy out.

"Bye, Shanks!" Luffy called as he was slung over her shoulder and she retreated into the house. "Come play with me again!"

"Bye, Luffy! Bye, Ace!" Shanks called.

Ace shot a vile look over his shoulder. With his book under his arm, he followed Dadan inside. The door slammed shut.

"Such a grumpy pants," Shanks muttered.

"Well, that was a waste of my free afternoon," Benn said with a sigh.

"Oh, come on, you had fun, admit it," Shanks said.

"Who doesn't have fun with kidnapping?" Benn replied deadpanned.

Shanks gave him an unamused look, but didn't reply. Benn started the engine, hoping he would remember the way back, because he didn't have a navigation system, and he doubted there would happen to be a map of Foosha in the car.

"Benn, mind if we take a detour?" Shanks suddenly asked quietly.

"Sure, why not, while we're here." He sighed deeply.

Shanks gave him a deadpanned look. "Now who's the grumpy pants."

He sighed again. "Where do you want me to go?"

"The end of the street, then right."

Benn did as he was told, not commenting when Shanks placed his hand on Benn's on the gearstick, but also doing nothing to encourage him to remove it. They drove in relative silence, only disrupted by Shanks' directions. Benn wondered where they were going – it seemed Shanks knew where they were, after all – but he didn't ask. Something told him he would find out soon enough.

They were nearing what looked like the edge of the town, when Shanks suddenly told him to stop. They were standing in front of an enormous mansion.

"You can put the car in the driveway," Shanks said. "No one's home."

Silently, Benn did as he was told. As soon as the car had stopped, Shanks undid his seatbelt and got out of the car. Benn immediately missed the warmth of his hand. He turned off the engine and stepped out of the vehicle as well. Leaning on the door, he couldn't help but stare at the house. It was huge.

Shanks was standing a little away from the car, in front of the gate, also looking up at the building.

"Shanks, whose house is this?" Benn asked, even if he had his suspicions, considering Shanks' melancholic behaviour.

Shanks looked over his shoulder. "It's mine."

Benn closed the car door, locking it, and strolled towards Shanks. When he was standing next to him, Shanks continued, "Or it will be mine in two years. Or if I get a degree earlier. I doubt that'll happen soon, though." He sighed. "It was Roger's."

Benn nodded slowly. He had suspected as much, though he had never known Roger was loaded. In fact, he knew very little about Roger, except that he had been a father figure for Shanks in some way.

"I didn't know Roger was rich," he merely said.

Shanks retrieved keys from his pocket and walked towards the gate. "Tell me, Benn," he said, "does the name Gol mean anything to you?"

"Gol?" Benn scratched the back of his head. "Now that you mention it... Wasn't that a mobster some years ago that... You don't mean _that_ Roger?!"

Shanks smiled sheepishly. "I wouldn't call him a mobster, though. I mean, it's an accurate description, but _I_ wouldn't use it." The key creaked in the lock.

Benn followed him silently. He had followed the story of Roger Gol in the papers some eight years ago. Headline after headline had been about this man, portrayed as a monster, a murderer. After many years he had finally been captured by the police, and it had been big news. And then, after a few months in prison, he had been stabbed by another inmate and died.

He followed Shanks through knee high grass, though he noted that it had been walked on recently.

"I took Luffy here on Monday," Shanks said, as if guessing his thoughts. "Before that, I hadn't been here pretty much since Roger died." He paused, before continuing, "I know I haven't talked about Roger much, I don't really like to, and the people most important to me already know the story. Well, most of them." He took Benn's hand again.

"You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to," Benn protested.

"That's the point, though. I do want to." Shanks stopped in front of the front door and cocked his head to the side. "Do you want to hear my story?"

Benn nodded, suddenly not able to speak.

Shanks grinned and put a key in the lock. "I guess I should start at the beginning," he said. "I was young when my father died. My mom I've never known; she died when I was born. When my dad died, I became... unruly. With no other family, I was put into the foster system. That's where I met Buggy."

"Buggy?" Benn asked. He had heard the name before, enough to understand that this Buggy had been a friend of Shanks', but as with Roger, he didn't know much else.

Shanks took picture frame from the wall and pressed it into Benn's hands. "That's Buggy," he said, pointing at a child with blue hair that was standing next to a kid that was clearly Shanks. "He soon became my best friend. And first boy crush," he added proudly.

"Anyway," Shanks continued, "we both bounced from house to house. Either the foster parents couldn't handle me, or they got a kid of their own. There was always a reason. In the end, I convinced Buggy to run away together. Probably not my best idea, but what do you want? I was twelve. We ended up living on the street for a while. And that was when we met Roger."

"Mind you, I had no idea who he was back then," Shanks said. "I knew him as the guy giving us food, and clothes, and other stuff we needed. Eventually, he invited us to come live with him." He stared into space. They were still standing in the hallway, Benn's fingers clutching the picture frame.

"Those four years were the happiest of my life," Shanks mused. "Roger sent me to school, which I wasn't too happy about back them, of course, but that's where I met Roo and Yasopp, and Makino." He seemed to shake himself from his trance and walked towards a door leading to the living room. Almost all furniture was covered in a sheet, to protect them against dust. Shanks sat down on a piano stool. Benn sat down next to him.

Shanks sighed deeply. "I know how the media portrayed Roger, and I'm certainly not saying that he was a law-abiding citizen, but he did protect the people of Foosha and other places he had influence. And he took care of people the police couldn't catch. I think that's why the police left him alone for a long time, they didn't look too hard at his crimes, because many were against bad people." He sighed again. "Garp always thought I would followed in Roger's footsteps. He either still does or he's sulking he was wrong, and that's why he won't let me near Luffy."

He shook his head. "Well, you no doubt know the rest of the story. Something happened, and Roger and Rayleigh were suddenly arrested."

"Rayleigh too?" Benn asked with a frown.

"Oh, that's right, you didn't know that." Shanks grinned sheepishly. "Don't tell him I told you, but yeah, he was arrested too. He was Roger's best friend and right-hand man, but they could only get him on tax fraud. He served two years. While Roger... They pinned everything on him. Nearly every open case. He got several life sentences. And then..."

Benn nodded and squeezed Shanks' shoulder.

Shanks took a deep breath. "I went to live with Crocus, a friend of Roger's, while finishing school. Things between me and Buggy were never the same when Roger went to prison, and especially not after he was murdered. He moved away the second we received our diploma and I have barely spoken to him since."

A silence fell between them. Benn still had his hand resting on Shanks' shoulder.

"Well, that's my sob story," Shanks then said, way to cheery for the general mood. "Now tell me yours."

"I don't really have a sob story," Benn said. "Especially in comparison to yours."

"It's not a competition. If it was, I'd win most of the time." He placed his hand on Benn's, still resting on his shoulder. "Come on, just tell me."

Benn sighed. "All right. You know how all children blame themselves when their parents get divorced?" When Shanks nodded, he continued, "Well, in my case it's actually true." Before Shanks could protest, he said, "They got divorced not too long after I came out. My mother chose religion. My father chose me."

"That is a sad story," Shanks said. "What about your brother? You have a brother, right?"

"He still has contact with my mother, unlike my dad and me," Benn said. Shanks' thumb was rubbing his hand. Benn didn't like to talk about his parents, especially his mother, which was why he had never pressed Shanks to tell his story either. He was, however, glad Shanks finally knew, and that he had shared his own story. The sense of trust Benn had always felt instinctively towards Shanks had only grown, and they were heading for dangerous territory. Benn decided to change the subject.

Turning towards the piano, he asked, "Do you play?"

"I do," Shanks said, thankfully not pressing the subject. "Roger taught me."

"Play for me."

"It's been like eight years," Shanks protested. "And the piano needs to be tuned too."

"Play for me."

Laughing, Shanks lifted up the sheet and then the lid covering the keys. His fingers danced above them, as if trying to decide where to start. Carefully, he pressed down a key, first one, then the next. The melody was definitely off key, but it did sound familiar to Benn, he just couldn't put his finger on it. As Shanks played, he started to hum along. It was only when Shanks sped up the pace that it clicked in his head.

"Are you playing _Sex Bomb_?"

Shanks looked at him innocently as his fingers kept pressing the keys. "It's the only song I know by heart."

Benn snorted.

When he had finished the song, Shanks closed the piano lid again, caressing it lovingly before rising. "You want to see the rest of the house?"

Taking Shanks' extended hand, Benn let himself be led around the house. Shanks showed him every room, with the exception of Roger's and Buggy's bedrooms. He told Benn various anecdotes, some of which Benn had heard before, but they made more sense now that he knew Shanks' background story.

They walked around hand in hand, even while they were sitting on Shanks' bed in his room, but Benn told himself that that was just Shanks liking physical contact. It wasn't flirting, just two dudes sitting on one dude's bed in his childhood room holding hands. As one does.

Eventually, it was starting to get dark, and the electricity had been disconnected a long time ago, according to Shanks.

"I'm getting hungry," Benn said, looking down at Shanks, whose head was lying in his lap.

"I think I saw a can of meatballs in the pantry," Shanks said musing. "Do you want some balls?" He blinked innocently.

"I like my balls hot," Benn replied with a straight face – it still wasn't flirting, "which I doubt will be the case here."

Shanks grinned up at him and rolled over so he could sit up. "What do you wanna do then?"

Benn hummed. "It'll take too long to drive home. So maybe we can find a restaurant in the area."

"Benn Beckman, are you asking me out?"

"Maybe," he said before he realised what he was saying.

Shanks grinned again. "Well, I do know some nice places around here." He stepped off the bed, then paused. "Some of them _may_ be fronts for the mafia, now that I think about it. Is that a problem?"

"As long as the food is good," Benn said with a shrug.

"You're a practical man, aren't you?" Shanks said as he helped him up.

"Just not easily scared."

"Yeah," Shanks said with a smile, "I like that about you."

Back in the car, Shanks gave him directions to what was apparently the first restaurant Roger had taken him to, but once they arrived, the place was closed down, and had been for a while. The next two were also shut, and the fourth looked so shady even Shanks said it might be better to find a different place. They ended up in a cosy little pub where both the food and the beer were cheap.

Benn continued to convince himself this wasn't a date, even with Shanks' foot up his pant leg and his own hand brushing Shanks' more than once.

Shanks put away an impressive amount of beer, while Benn quit after one, since he still had to drive back. The food was good, if a bit greasy, and the corner they were sitting in was relatively quiet, though they were interrupted by loud cheering from the match showing on the TV in the back every once in a while.

As they drove back, there was a lot of tension in the air, and Benn's eyes kept flicking from the road ahead to Shanks, who was looking at him the whole time. He didn't say much, though Benn didn't know if that was better or worse.

Benn parked the car in front of his house – he would take it to the university tomorrow to give Rayleigh the keys back. Together, they walked towards the house, Shanks slightly swaying and clinging to his arm. As Benn opened the door, Shanks stepped inside, tripping over the doorstep. Benn caught him, his heart thundering in his ears when Shanks looked at him. Shanks straightened, only to fall against the wall, pulling Benn with him by his shirt.

"Whoops," Shanks said innocently. "I'm so clumsy."

Their faces were incredibly close, and Benn took a few breaths to steady himself as he leaned against the wall, his elbows resting on either side of Shanks' head. "You know," he finally said, his voice sounding lower than usual, even to him, "I don't think you're half as drunk as you pretend to be."

"Is that so?"

"I've seen you put away a lot more with getting a lot less drunk."

"And why would I pretend?" Shanks asked, his hands caressing Benn's upper arms.

"I imagine, to have an excuse to touch me." Benn, however, made no attempt to move away.

Shanks looked up, his eyes glistening with mischief and as clear as ever. "Damn," he said, "you saw right through my master plan."

"If this is your master plan, you should go back to villain school."

Shanks cocked his head to the side. "You think I'm a villain?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Benn shrugged. "Only villains have master plans, right?"

Shanks laughed and let his hands rest on Benn's backside, pulling him closer. "I suppose you have a point." He looked up, his eyes shining, and his pupils dilated. Benn automatically leaned in closer.

"Are you going to kiss me?" Shanks asked, excitedly, and if his excitement hadn't been clear in his voice, it would have been clear with what was pressing against Benn's thigh.

He wanted to. He wanted it so badly. But if he kissed Shanks now, then he wouldn't be able to stop himself from doing what that would lead to. And if he did that... Benn took a deep breath, but then pushed away from the wall. "No," he said, "you're too drunk for that."

"Foiled by my own master plan. Well played, my friend," Shanks said, trying to mask his disappointment, and failing.

Benn didn't look back, he knew he would give in then. Instead, he walked upstairs. "Good night, Shanks."


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks Vergina-spva and MyLadyDay for beta ing

* * *

It was three in the morning when Benn decided it was no use trying to fall asleep. The events of the previous day kept playing in front of his mind's eye. From the moment Shanks had come home with Luffy, it had been an emotional rollercoaster for Benn. First, he had been genuinely mad at Shanks, then resigned that this was just how Shanks was, impulsive and pig-headed. Those were emotions he could deal with, that he was used to, at least since he had met Shanks.

But then Shanks had to open up to him, show his vulnerable side, and Benn just fell head over heels all over again. And Shanks had done nothing to stop him. He only encouraged Benn with his smooth talking, flirting, his foot up Benn's pant leg, his boner against Benn's thigh…

Benn groaned and turned to his side, the mattress bobbing gently underneath him. Usually, it was enough to lull him to sleep, but each time he almost drifted off, Shanks' face came back to him, pupils dilated and eyes dark with anticipation.

Maybe he needed a smoke. Benn pushed back the covers, digging around his nightstand before he remembered he left his cigarettes downstairs. Sighing, he got up, sneaking down the stairs as silently as he could. The pack of cigarettes was on the table. As Benn pulled one out with his teeth, he made the mistake of turning around.

Shanks was fast asleep, lying on his stomach. The duvet covered his lower half, revealing his naked torso. He was snoring softly.

Benn put down the package, walking over to the sofa bed, the cigarette still dangling between his lips, unlit. From up close, he could see Shanks was drooling on the pillow, muttering something incomprehensible.

Benn's eyes flicked to the space next to Shanks on the mattress. It would probably be okay to lay down for a few minutes. Walking around the bed, Benn sat down on the couch, the frame creaking under his weight.

The mattress was much less comfortable than his bed. He should probably get up again.

Shanks let out a snort and rolled onto his side, facing Benn. Hesitantly, Benn reached out, gently touching Shanks' face. He didn't wake up.

Benn lay down, to watch Shanks' face closer. There was something soothing about listening to Shanks' breathing, in and out, in and out. Benn's eyes fluttered shut.

* * *

Sunlight shining straight into his eyes woke him up the next morning, and Shanks groaned, pulling the pillow on top of his head. He sighed, stretching himself, when his foot brushed against something hairy. Pulling the pillow back, he sat up a little, smiling when he saw Benn next to him, asleep.

Shanks rolled to his side, propping himself up on one elbow as he watched Benn sleep. He hadn't even noticed him coming in.

Something small rolled against him and he picked it up. Pursing his lips, he twirled the cigarette around in his hand. Benn must have come down for a smoke, but had first… taken a break?

He flicked the cigarette away and turned back to Benn. He was looking kind of cute like this, and Benn wasn't usually a man to be described as cute.

"Stop staring at me," Benn grunted.

"Excuse me for not expecting to find you in my bed," Shanks replied with a grin.

"I think you'll find you're in _my_ bed," Benn grouched, his eyes still closed. "It's still my house."

"Nice pyjamas," Shanks countered.

"Shut up, they're comfortable."

"I bet they are." Shanks snuck his hand towards Benn's chest, caressing it gently. "This is nice. Flannel?"

Benn hummed in reply, but smacked Shanks' hand away when it threatened to go lower. He turned to his side, away from Shanks.

"Alright, not a morning person, I see," Shanks said grinning, before his face turned serious. "But I think we both know why you are in my- your bed, with me. And I think we should talk about that. After I peed." He jumped from the bed and ran upstairs, sighing when he had finally reached the toilet.

"Alright then," Shanks said after he returned. "Let's talk."

"What if I don't want to talk?" Benn asked stubbornly. "Also, why are you naked?"

"Not everyone likes to sleep in pyjamas," Shanks said with a shrug. "Too hot. Oh, don't look at me like that, you can wash your sheets. Also," he continued, "stop changing the subject. We're gonna talk about what your problem is."

Benn shot up in bed. "You want to know what my problem is? You. You come waltzing back into my life like a… like a whirlwind, making me f- And you leave tomorrow. Tomorrow! You'll disappear again for who knows how long… And for the love of God, could you _please_ put on pants?!"

"Why, is it distracting you?" Shanks said, waggling his eyebrows.

"No, I just figured you're cold." Benn's eyes flicked down to Shanks' crotch and back up.

A small smirk appeared on Shanks' face. "Ouch." He sat back down on the bed and covered himself up. "Alright, what do you want to do then?"

"Nothing. I want to do nothing." Benn sighed. "You know, you _know_ , that this doesn't happen to me a lot."

"All the more reason to enjoy it," Shanks replied.

Benn remained silent.

"You know what?" Shanks said. "I could convince you. I could poke holes in all your arguments, and you'd be happy to jump my bones."

"Is that so?" Benn asked, amused.

"Yes, I could, and you know it. But I'm not going to do that."

"Why not?" Benn actually sounded taken aback, as if he had counted on that. Just like Shanks expected.

"No. It's not real if I have to convince you. Don't get me wrong, if you'd jump me right now, I'd gladly reciprocate. But it's got to come from you."

Benn was silent once more, leaning with his chin on his hand. Shanks could almost hear the gear wheels turn in his head. Curiously, he moved closer.

He then found himself on his back on the bed, pinned down by Benn, whom he hadn't even seen move. Grinning, he looked up. "Made up your mind, then?"

"I have not," Benn replied. He was still lying on top of Shanks, unmoving.

"Well, okay then. Could you move your knee, though, please? If you're gonna be here a while, I'd like to be comfortable."

Benn huffed out a laugh and did as he was asked. He then let his head fall against Shanks' shoulder. "What am I going to do?"

"That's up to you. I'm fine just lying here." To emphasise his words, Shanks put his hands underneath his head.

Benn chewed on his lip, his face slowly moving towards Shanks.

A loud ringing sounded, and Benn shot up like he was stung by a bee. He rolled off the bed to get the phone.

Shanks snorted. "Saved by the bell, eh?"

Benn ignored him. "Hello?" he said through the phone. His eyebrows furrowed. "Yes, he's here." He looked at Shanks. "It's for you. Why do you give out my phone number like it's yours?"

Shanks shrugged. "I don't have a cell phone." He rose from the bed.

"Could you please put on pants!" Benn exclaimed when the sheet slipped off Shanks.

"Oh? Am I interrupting something?" Shanks caught the voice on the other end of the line saying as he took over the phone.

"Not yet. What's up, Thatch?" Silently, he listened to what Thatch had to say, though none of it came as a surprise. "Well, that's why I told you I'm in town. I knew you couldn't resist an excuse to throw a party!" He laughed. "Okay then, see you tonight!" He pressed the button to hang up and handed the phone back to Benn. "Wanna go to a party tonight?"

Benn huffed. "I don't think so."

"Oh, come on! You said so yourself, I'm leaving tomorrow, so this is my last night here. And the Whitebeard boys are throwing a party especially for me! Well, for the booze, but they're using me as an excuse, that's so sweet, right?" He took Benn's hands. "It's my last night here, and I want to spend it with you." He batted his eyelashes.

"Alright," Benn finally said, reluctantly.

"Great! Now shall we continue where we left off?"

"I have a class to teach," Benn said, suddenly sounding cold. Without another word, he walked towards the living room door.

"For the record," Shanks said, and Benn stopped in his tracks, "I think you're being stupid."

Benn looked over his shoulder. "I thought you weren't going to try to convince me."

"What, you think I can't come up with something better than calling you stupid to change your mind? No, like I said, I'm not trying to convince you. But that doesn't change the fact that I think you're stupid."

Without a word, Benn left the living room, and Shanks heard him go upstairs. A few minutes later, the footsteps came down again, and the front door slammed shut.

Shanks sighed and closed his eyes. That had almost gone well.

* * *

Benn hadn't been able to focus on his class much, so he had just divided his students into groups and let them discuss the lecture among themselves. After class, he locked the door behind him and went to his office.

He dropped his keys when he found Shanks lying prostrate on his desk, his head propped up on his hand. "Geez, what the hell?!" Irritated, he picked up his keys. "How did you even get in here? The door was locked."

"Rayleigh let me in, obviously." Shanks sat up and hopped off the desk. "And I didn't like how we left things this morning. So I came here to kiss and make up. Well, not actually kiss. Unless you've changed your mind?"

Benn huffed a laugh and shook his head. "How long have you been lying there, anyway?"

"I haven't been lying there for hours, if that's what you think. I'm not stupid, I know what time your class ends." He paused for a second. "So we're good?"

"Yes, we're good."

"And you're still coming to the party?"

Benn sighed. "Why do I get the feeling that's only a ruse to get me drunk?"

Shanks cocked his head to the side. "It's not a ruse. I'm definitely going to get you drunk. But just for fun, not to get you into bed or anything. I told you, it has to come from you. And you have to be sober."

* * *

"Oh my God, what happened to your hair?!" Thatch exclaimed as soon as he opened the door.

Izo, standing next to him, rolled his eyes. "He's in the army, what did you expect?"

"I _know_ ," Thatch all but whined. "But that was like the only thing we had in common. Beautiful hair."

"Aw, come on, we have lots more in common," Shanks said, wrapping an arm around Thatch.

Thatch pursed his lips and hummed. "Sorry, no. I don't see it. Do you?" he asked Izo. Shanks and Thatch put their heads together and looked at Izo.

"You look like identical twins," he said, but it was impossible to determine whether or not he was being sarcastic when he whirled around and strode inside.

Shanks and Thatch looked at each other before Thatch turned back to Benn and Roo, who were lagging in the doorway. "Great that you guys made it!" he said. "It's Benn, right?" he said to Benn, holding out his hand when Benn looked incomprehensively. "I'm Thatch, we spoke on the phone? And met like five years ago."

Benn raised his eyebrows and looked at Shanks, who just shrugged. Benn took Thatch's hand and shook it, before he was pulled inside.

Beer and other kinds of alcohol flowed freely, and Shanks was pleased to see that even Benn loosened up. Roo was feeling at home too. It was too bad Yasopp decided to stay with the wife, but Shanks begrudgingly had to admit he did understand. It was his last night here as well.

"Come on, Shanks, dance with me." Izo pulled him to the middle of the room. "What are you moping about? Aren't you happy to see me?"

Shanks snorted. "Please, who wouldn't be happy to see you? It's been too long."

"And whose fault is that? You're the one who decided to play soldier." Izo looked slightly miffed.

"Isn't Rakuyo in the army as well?" Shanks countered.

Izo rolled his eyes. "Oh yes, and I love the idea of my brother one day being brought home covered by a flag."

Shanks, for once, didn't know what to say and remained silent.

Izo clucked his tongue and sighed. "So how is it going with Mr Salt-'n-pepper over there? You like him, don't you?"

"What's not to like?" Shanks turned half around. "If you look at him, don't you want to jump his bones?"

Izo looked over his shoulder. "Not really, no."

"Oh, you're asexual. What do you know," Shanks huffed.

Izo gave him a deadpanned look. "I can still appreciate him aesthetically. From an artistic point of view, that is one beautiful man. I'd love to draw him sometime. Where did you find him anyway? He looks like he should be aboard a ship, carrying a heavy crate or something."

Shanks laughed. "He teaches at the university, if you can believe it."

Izo pursed his lips. "No," he finally said. "I don't see it. He's obviously a sailor."

"Well, I'll tell him you think he can just throw his PhD in the ocean."

"Don't look, but your boyfriend's coming over," Izo whispered in his ear.

Someone tapped on his shoulder, and Shanks pretended to be surprised. "Hey, Benn! Didn't see you there."

"Are you gossiping about me?" Benn asked, deadpanned.

"I'd never!" Shanks exclaimed, mock-insulted.

"Yeah? 'Cause you were looking at me and pointing."

"He's got you there," Izo said helpfully.

Shanks rolled his eyes. "Izo thinks you're a sailor in disguise."

"Maybe I am." Benn stepped forward, arms crossed before his chest.

Izo rolled his eyes. "Oh, just kiss already." He removed himself from Shanks' arms and walked over to Thatch to get another beer.

"Well, you heard the man," Shanks said to Benn with a grin.

Benn snorted and gently wrapped his arms around Shanks to dance with him, swaying slowly even if there was upbeat music playing. "Could you please remove your hands from my butt?"

"Those aren't my hands," Shanks protested, showing Benn his hands.

Benn narrowed his eyes at him, but then suddenly called out, "Who had their hands on my butt?!"

Some people around them stopped dancing for a second to cast him a questioning look, but most were too far gone to even look up.

"Benn, honey, I lied. They were my hands." Shanks turned Benn's face towards him. "You're pretty drunk already, aren't you?"

"No," Benn muttered, placing his head on Shanks' shoulder.

They danced and drank for hours, until Jozu interrupted the music by hitting a tiny gong. He had done that several times that night, to announce when the bus left. Many people had gone by now, either by bus or other modes of transportation. This time, though, Jozu announced the last bus would leave in 15 minutes.

"If you miss that one, you're stuck here until morning, so you'd better skedaddle."

Shanks tapped Roo's shoulder. "That's us. Have you seen Benn?"

Roo pointed with his thumb over his shoulder to where Benn was slumped over the table. Shanks chuckled and gently shook his shoulder. "Come on, handsome. Time to go."

"I wasn't sleeping," Benn muttered. He rubbed his eyes and let Shanks help him up.

With Roo's help, he got Benn outside and to the bus stop. It was pretty cold at this time of night, and Shanks was never one to say no to a bit of cuddling. So there he was, sandwiched between Roo and Benn, whose head was already resting on Shanks' shoulder.

Inside the bus, it was a lot warmer. The bumpy road they took shook the vehicle so much that even Benn blinked and sat upright.

Izo's words had been nagging Shanks all night, so he had tried to drown them out with booze. However, now that the booze was gone as well as the music and most other sounds, aside from the humming of the bus' engine, he could no longer ignore the voice. So he asked, "Are you worried I'll be killed since I've joined the army?"

"Aren't we all going to die someday?" Roo said, musing. "Isn't it just as likely that I die from tripping and hitting my head as it is for you to be hit by a bullet? Does it even matter? Does it mean anything? In the grand scheme of things, does anything even matter?"

Shanks stared at him, blinking. Then he sighed, smiling. "I forgot how philosophical you get when you're drunk. Depressing, but deep." He then turned to Benn, who seemed somewhat awake now. "What do you think?"

"I think Roo is wrong," Benn replied. "Not about the part that we will all die, someday. And I have considered that you will die in the army. But that's okay. I mean, it isn't. Don't die. But you like what you do. You like it more than you'd like to stay with us." When Shanks opened his mouth to protest, Benn raised his hands. "It's not an accusation, it's a fact. We don't like you so much that we would join the army. But you're doing good. We're all trying to do good. I try to make more compassionate people, Roo saves animals. And you fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. So no, in the grand scheme of things, in history, our individual choices may not matter. But it does mean something. At the very least, it means something to me."

For a moment, Shanks didn't really know what to say, and just stared at Benn for a while.

Benn smirked cockily. "I know, I'm pretty smart." He had barely spoken the words when his head lulled to the side and he started to snore.

Shanks opened his mouth to say something to Roo, but he had fallen asleep as well. Shaking his head with a smile, Shanks leaned against the cold window and closed his eyes.

He didn't realise he had dozed off until the announcement system called the name of Roo's stop. Hastily, he tapped Roo's knee, who woke up with a snort.

"This is you. Are you gonna be okay, or do you want to stay with us?" Shanks asked.

"Please, like this is the first time I'm getting home drunk," Roo said. "Just because you left doesn't mean the parties stopped."

Shanks turned up his nose. "They should."

"I know." Roo placed a hand on his shoulder for a moment. "I'll see you at the train station tomorrow. Or later today, I guess."

"Bye!" Sighing, Shanks moved into the seat Roo had left unoccupied next to Benn, who was still asleep. It was still a few more stops until they were near Benn's house. Wrapping Benn's arm around him, Shanks snuggled up against him. Still snoring, Benn pulled him closer.

Shanks forced his eyes open every once in a while until he saw familiar surroundings, and he pressed the stop button. "Come on, Benn. Wake up." He got no reaction, except a snore. Deadpanned, Shanks shook him. "Come on, Benn. Benn. Hey, sexy!"

Benn's eyes fluttered open.

Shanks' eyebrows rose as he grinned. "So that worked, eh? Come on."

Benn leaned heavily on him while they walked to the house from the bus stop. When they reached the door, the weight became too much and Shanks let himself fall against the hard surface. Benn's face was suddenly awfully close. His lips curled into a mischievous, almost predatory grin.

"Don't even think about it," Shanks said sternly. "Now, where are your keys?"

The grin grew even more. "You tell me."

Shanks winced. "That's some bad breath. Alright, I'm going in." With both hands simultaneously, he dug into Benn's back pockets, which he found empty except for Benn's wallet, of which he made a mental note for later. He also found a very firm ass inside the pants, which also went into the mental notes.

Taking a deep breath, he put his hands in Benn's front pockets, trying very hard not to dig too deep. Fortunately, he didn't have to, because he found Benn's keys soon enough.

Shanks turned around to open the door, which was a big mistake as Benn pressed his whole body against him. Shanks groaned. "I thought you were a sleepy drunk, now it turns out you're a horny drunk?"

"You bring it out in me." Benn's voice was so deep it sent involuntary shivers down Shanks' spine.

"Yeah, well, tough luck," Shanks muttered, slightly out of breath. "You picked the wrong time, buddy." Fortunately for him, the door sprung open. It brought at least momentarily relief, but as soon as they made it to the living room, Shanks found himself on his back on the sofa bed with Benn on top of him.

"Come on, man! Don't make it harder than it already is," he sighed.

"I think it's too late for that," Benn replied with a grin and grabbed Shanks' crotch.

"Oi! That is unwanted physical contact!" Shanks pushed Benn away and rose.

"I don't understand." Benn actually sounded sad, and it took all Shanks' willpower not to look at him. "This is what you want, isn't it? It's what you've always wanted. You started flirting with me on day one!"

"Yes, and you asked me to stop and I did. Then we became best friends and I disappeared for five years, and then we spend a nice, but very confusing week together. That's a nice summary of the story so far."

"What story?" Benn sounded confused now, and Shanks looked at him.

"I don't know. You're forgetting I'm drunk too."

Benn moved so he was sitting on the edge of the sofa bed. "How about you stop talking, get over here and let me blow you."

Shanks pursed his lips and took a step forward so that he was within Benn's reach. He combed with his hand through Benn's hair. "Tomorrow, you can blow me all you want."

Benn looked up, placing his chin against Shanks' belly. "You mean it?"

"You can blow me away. Once you're sober. Now," he pushed himself away from Benn, "you're gonna get some sleep. And because I'm so selfless, I will sacrifice myself and sleep in your bed. Good night."

* * *

Out of breath, Benn raced through the streets, almost getting hit by a car as he rode through a red light. He hadn't seen Shanks all day, which wasn't a bad thing per se, because while last night was a bit blurry, he did remember enough to know he made a fool of himself.

Shanks had basically thrown himself at Benn, and apparently, last night Benn had decided it was a good time throw himself right back. He had even offered to blow Shanks!

This morning, he woke up with a giant headache, when a student of his who was leaving to study abroad called. There was something with the paperwork, and if he didn't help her out, she wouldn't be able to leave. It was a hard morning, being hungover and trying to get something done at the university on a Saturday, but even worse because Shanks was leaving today, and Benn was late.

The train was leaving in five minutes. Benn pressed the pedals down harder, ignoring another red light. At the train station, he threw down his bicycle carelessly, only halting to check at which platform he had to be.

Roo, Shanks and Yasopp were already waiting, the latter with a crying Usopp on his arm.

"There you are. We were starting to think you weren't coming," Roo said.

Benn tried to speak, but he was too much out of breath. Red spots were dancing in front of his eyes and his head was pounding.

"Well," Shanks hoisted his backpack higher on his shoulder, "this was a fun week."

"Is Banchina feeling better?" Roo asked Yasopp.

"It's… Yeah, it has ups and downs. She didn't feel well enough this morning to join. If you could-"

Roo held up his hand. "No problem, I'll get Usopp home. So, will it be another five years before we see you again?" This time, he spoke to Shanks.

"Probably not _five_ ," Shanks muttered. Then he turned to Benn. "Caught your breath yet, champ? The train will be here any minute and I'd like you to say goodbye."

Benn took a deep breath and straightened. The red spots had disappeared, and it finally felt like he could think clearly again. Taking a step forward, he grabbed the back of Shanks' head and pulled him into a kiss.

It only lasted a few seconds before Benn pulled back. Shanks stood frozen, his eyes wide, just like Roo and Yasopp.

It was Roo who finally broke the silence. "Well, you finally shut him up. That's impressive."

"Damn," was all Yasopp said.

Finally, Shanks seemed to come to himself. "So, three days is too short, but three minutes will do just fine?"

"It's the uniform," Benn said, deadpanned.

Shanks narrowed his eyes. "I certainly hope you're joking, otherwise I wouldn't have been wearing civilian clothes all week."

"Do you want to talk or do you want to make out?" Benn asked challengingly.

"I wanna make out." Shanks pulled Benn forward by the front of his shirt.

"Oi, oi, mind the tongue! There's kids watching," Yasopp said, shielding Usopp's eyes.

Benn ignored him. He wasn't sure what he had been thinking, but there was no going back now, not with Shanks' tongue in his mouth.

"Train's here."

Roo's voice had been soft, but it was enough for Benn to pull back again. Usopp was struggling in Yasopp's arms as he tried to hand the boy to Roo.

"No, daddy, don't go!"

"I have to go. Your uncle Roo will bring you home, right Roo?" Yasopp looked at him pleading.

"Of course. Once your dad is on the train, how about you and me go get some ice cream, eh?" Roo said.

Usopp nodded and snorted loudly.

"There's my brave warrior." Yasopp kissed his head as the train came to a stop next to them.

Shanks looked at Benn. "It's been a crazy week."

"Yeah."

He smirked. "I'll miss you."

"Me too." Benn touched Shanks' face.

"Are you gonna wait for me?"

"I'm no army wife," he replied. "I don't expect you to wait either."

Shanks smile faintly and punched him lightly in the chest. "Bye, Benn."

Shanks and Yasopp entered the train, both looking over their shoulder as they moved into the compartment.

Benn was standing next to Roo, looking until they saw their friends appear behind the window. The conductor blew their whistle and the doors closed before the train set itself into motion.

Benn waved at them, almost automatically, as the adrenaline started to wear off and the reality of the situation started to get through to him.

A hand was placed on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" Roo asked.

Benn remained silent.

"I'm taking Usopp for ice cream, do you want to join?" Roo continued. "We can get a beer later."

Benn watched the train disappearing in the distance. "Yeah," he said again. "Ice cream and beer sounds good."


End file.
